Sarah Kaydence Smith
for Texas Representative District 126
Service & Dedication to Veterans
Home to over one million veterans, Texas is central to veterans affairs. Texas Representative, District 126 Candidate, Sarah Kaydence Smith, is no stranger to service to Soldiers and Military families and as an Army spouse of 17+ years who was actively boots on ground with her military family worldwide and stateside, she has yet to stop serving.
In the heart of Texas, where the spirit of service runs deep, TX Representative Candidate, Sarah Kaydence Smith stands as a beacon of dedication and advocacy for veterans, service members, and their families. Her life, intertwined with the military through her 17+ year journey as an Army spouse and her significant role as Army Family Team Building as a Master Trainer, Army Family Action Plan Coordinator, on several Commander Boards and has received many accolades and recognition from military branches, has shaped her into a formidable advocate for those who have served our nation.
A "Kaydence" of Care for Our Veterans
Sarah's middle name, Kaydence , symbolizing rhythm and harmony, resonates deeply with her approach to serving veterans ,District 126, and Veterans and their loved ones worldwide as well. Like a steadfast cadence that guides soldiers, Kaydence’s legislative initiatives are designed to bring a synchronized and comprehensive support system to veterans and their families.
Sarah's Legislative Initiatives Include:
A Symphony of Support
1. Enhanced Mental Health Access: Sarah proposes to expand mental health services for veterans, focusing on accessibility and effectiveness. This includes increasing funding for VA mental health programs, integrating mental health services with primary care, and establishing community-based outreach programs. In the past her role with AFAP has assisted in some small legislative improvements but more work needs to be done. She took steps with AFAP to address change and as a Texas Representative, she will continue to support and propose efforts to enhance mental health access for Veterans.
2. Homeless Veterans Assistance Program: Recognizing the plight of homeless veterans, she plans to introduce legislation aimed at providing housing assistance, job training, and rehabilitative services to help them reintegrate into society. Houston as well as other cities, has a growing demographic of homeless Veterans. Sarah and her husband, actively take time to not only assist area homeless veterans they meet on the street with food, hygeine, water, etc. but both will clear a spot and sit and engage in conversation with homeless veterans who often later express they feel invisible and forgotten by those they served. Years ago after had met a homeless veteran and engaging in a long conversation, Sarah recognized a need that seemed forgotten. Most homeless Veterans have lost or do not have access to DD214, ID, etc. so Sarah took it upon herself to locate Veterans and take her laptop along with her phone hotspot to areas to assist homeless Veterans with obtaining their DD214, resources to assist them with getting ID, etc. so they could better access services they were entitled to. She later recruited 21 Houston area volunteers to do the same and now has 111 Homeless Veterans Outreach Volunteers who regularly go into homeless areas to locate, confirm Veterans and assist them with local resources. She understands the need of more assistance programs and also more support for the organizations who assist homeless veterans.
3. Wounded Warrior Care Improvement: For our wounded warriors, Sarah also advocates for improved medical and rehabilitative services, focusing on both physical and psychological recovery, ensuring they receive the highest quality of care. Some of her closest friends are wounded warriors or spouses of wounded warriors. They deserve the best of care and this is an issue Sarah will continue to take issue on.
4. Support for Surviving Spouses: For both a private and personal reason, Sarah is committed to enhancing the benefits for surviving spouses, including counseling, educational benefits, and financial assistance, acknowledging their sacrifice and loss. She has personally known spouses who became widows at a very young age. Benefits are long overdue to have enhanced. For years her and others have advocated for increasing SGLI to 1 million dollars and though life is invaluable, she will not stop until SGLI is increased more and other benefits in place for surviving spouses.
5. VA System Reform: Acknowledging the issues within the VA system, Sarah's initiatives aim to streamline VA processes, improve transparency, and reduce wait times for veterans seeking medical and other services. She comes from a military family with a legacy who has been involved in almost all conflicts from WWII which she is able to trace so dedication to VA care for all runs far and deep from past to current. The tragic loss of her loved ones and friends in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2007 has been a driving force in her mission.
The memory of those heroes fuels her dedication to ensure no veteran or military family member nor organization who serves them is left behind. Just as the book “They Fought for One Another” honors these brave souls who were in the unit she has flowing in her veins, Sarah’s work is a living tribute to their sacrifice.
Past Programs and Advocacy Efforts 1. Family Readiness Groups Leadership: Sarah has been Battalion and Unit FRG leader and helped established programs focused on family support during deployments, providing resources and building community networks for military families. During one of the worst deployments ever, while others returned stateside, Sarah remained overseas to be hands on and continue serving the needs of soldiers and families during such a trying time. Enduring frequent memorials almost weekly, knowing and being an advocate to self care to include tending to mental health, she sought mental health counseling for herself due to such frequent tragic losses, to ensure she best knew how to keep her emotional health ok and also be able to assist her military families and installation. Where veterans, soldiers and military families are, Sarah decided to be and continues to boots on ground for them and also to be their voice and action taker.
2. Career Transition Workshops: Recognizing the challenges of transitioning to civilian life, she developed workshops offering career counseling, resume building, and job search strategies for service members. Sarah and her husband own 3 Veteran owned businesses and are active with Veteran Business programs, supporting, hiring and training Veterans for work. Their businesses are in logistics, disaster and emergency planning in the Federal sector and also in the fields in Aerospace and International business. She trains and coaches Veterans and spouses to creating business from their skillsets.
3. Advocacy Letters and Campaigns: Sarah has been a vocal advocate, sending letters to elected officials on various issues, including improving the GI Bill, addressing military pay inequities, and enhancing childcare services for military families. She has a background and is also degreed in Journalism so writing and having a voice is natural for her. On issues dear to her, she knows the art of disciplined silence is a form of war which is a voice that also moves mountains gently. She will put pen to paper, voice to phone, or create an in person meeting to advocate for causes.
A Personal and District Legacy
The number 126, symbolizing her loyalty and rememberance to the military unit of her friends and now her district, runs deep in Sarah’s veins. It represents a commitment to service, sacrifice, and community — values she carries into her legislative role. Her goal is not just to legislate but to protect and serve her district with the same loyalty and dedication she has shown to the military community. She meets challenges and obstacles head on with the end goal always in mind. She is mindful to stay focused and avoid any outside noise so she remains on the path to her end goals for self, District and others.
A Mission Rooted in Service TX Representative District 126 Candidate, Sarah Smith’s journey and actions speak of a profound commitment to those who have served our nation and all others in her District and beyond. Her initiatives reflect a deep understanding of their needs and challenges.
In District 126, she stands as a guardian of their interests, ensuring that the voices of veterans and their families are not just heard but acted upon.
With Sarah , the rhythm of service and harmony of care continue, echoing the valor and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes.
Let’s Work Together
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