“I WILL DO TODAY WHAT OTHERS WON'T, SO TOMORROW I CAN DO WHAT OTHERS WANT!.” - DEBRA'S MOTTO

Who is Debra?

Debra Christian is the director of the Christian Restoration Community Residential Program (CRC). Ms. Christian and The CRC provides access to adult education courses and veteran housing arrangements on a vast swath of land in Tyler, Texas. They boast more than 1,000 acres, on which the programs continue to develop. This land has been within Ms. Christian’s family since World War I and it has become their legacy. They are building tiny homes and three-bedroom houses on the USDA-approved land, and they have further plans down the road. Ms. Christian’s great-great-grandfather, Butch Christian, was the one who first bought the land. When her father, a veteran of Korea and Vietnam, came along, the family did not stay tied to the land; they instead traveled the world as a military family until her father retired from the military in 2007.

Career

Early work
After receiving a business degree from Texas College in 1977, Debra D. Christian served as a lab technician for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for 34 years before retiring.
Breakthrough
In 2007, she was inspired to develop the Christian Restoration Community (CRC) Residential Care Program in the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, where she has since served as director. She was inspired by her father, who was a combat soldier in Korea at the age of 18 when the military was still segregated. He carried the American flag when President Harry S. Truman decided Black men could fight with the Buffalo Soldiers and later passed away from being exposed to Agent Orange during his time in Korea. Although her older brother also joined the military, Ms. Christian was discouraged from doing so because she needed to take care of her father. In doing so, she learned early on that many veterans needed extensive care services after returning from deployment, which led her to develop her current program. Ms. Christian began her program with her brother, who is a reverend. They began offering their services to homeless veterans with the objective of giving them shelter and food so that they could receive government benefits, such as food stamps and other available resources. Today, the program is about to reach capacity and will soon enter phase two. They will be working with young women who will live domiciliary style and be paid to work on property that Ms. Christian’s family has owned since the 1800s.

Directorial Affiliations and certifications

Amongst persistence, discpline, and hardwork, Ms. Christian has established a vast list of enduring affiliations. Affiliations include: Christian Wellness Center and Day Spa in Tyler, Tx for 29 years (BBB Acreditation Status), BS. I-ACT- NBCHT/ Owner, AKA Gamma Omicron Omega Chapter Tyler, TX 1984-2022, Past- District II State of Texas - Commander of DAV - Auxillary, Present- Commander DAV- Auxillary Unit 6 Tyler, TX, Present - Chaplan of American Legion Unit 12 - Tyler, TX, Member of The Vietnam Veterans of Foreign Affairs (VFA), Member of The 286 Korean Veterans Association, and American Legion Auxillary - District 3 State of Texas - President Debra Christian 2022-2024. With no finish line in sight, Ms. Christian's plans for this list to only increase. For her efforts throughout her career, Ms. Christian has been ackowledged and given several awards and certifications. In 2011, she received the Colon Hydrotherapist of the Year award and labeled the Honoree for "Women in Business" by the Board Members of Women in Tyler. On September 22, 2020, she was inducted into the Prestigious Marquis Who's Who. Lastly, she was most recently named Volunteer of the Year, Therapist of the Year and Woman of the Year by the reactivated Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary and recognized by Miles Chapel CME Church, of Tyler, TX, for being a memeber for over 50 years.
"Debra Christian, Colon Therapist Who Works with Vets and Sees GI Issues on a Regular Basis."