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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Dégagé Ministries and Rob Bliss Creative decided to try something new to get a homeless veteran back on his feet: they gave him a makeover.
A time-lapse video of the transformation was released in time for Veterans Day to try and raise money through YouCaring to give other veterans the same opportunity.
Jim Wolf, a United States Army Veteran, had struggled with homelessness and alcoholism for decades before volunteering for the makeover in September, according to the YouTube video. Since his makeover he has made plans to get his own apartment and attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for the first time.
"In a way, the video has shown him his own potential," video producer Rob Bliss told the Grand Rapids Press. "Now he is beginning to see the issues in his life."
At the beginning of the video Jim Wolf had disheveled hair and looked like a stereotypical homeless person, but by the end he looks like a polished business man. Bliss told The Blaze he wanted to show that even though homeless people can be ignored everyday, they have the potential to look like they are meant for the cover of GQ.
Dégagé's executive director Marge Palmerlee said the normally talkative Wolf was silent during the whole transformation.
"He sat there without saying a word, just overwhelmed," Palmerlee told the Grand Rapids Press. "It's boosted his confidence, and it's given him hope."