- May 16, 2024
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In 1993, Lakewood Ranch’s C.J. Bannister didn't see college as a viable option.
She was graduating from high school in Eddyville, Iowa, and was told that joining the military would be a way to increase her educational opportunities in the future.
So that’s what she did.
Bannister enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. What she didn’t know then was that the eight years she would spend in the Air Force would be some of the best years of her life and lead her to a career in helping veterans.
During its Red, White and Brave luncheon April 16, the Tidewell Foundation honored Bannister not only for her service in the military but also for her service to veterans in the community through her work with nonprofits. The foundation honored five other female veterans as well.
While in the Air Force, Bannister spent four years as a crew chief before serving as a paralegal for the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps for four years.
Bannister said the Air Force gave her the opportunity not only to see the world but to experience life through other people’s eyes.
While in South Korea, she saw the water wasn’t regulated and people dried their rice in the streets. She said it was an eye-opening experience to see how people in other countries live and survive.
As soon as she was honorably discharged in 2001, Bannister said she was looking for opportunities to serve her community.
“There’s so much satisfaction and pride that comes with giving back to your community or to your people or your country," she said. "The military instills that,” Bannister said. “When you get out (of the military), it never leaves you.”
Since then, she’s worked for Sarasota Military Academy as the chief development officer, and she helped launch Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program, serving as the director of veteran services.
Currently, Bannister serves as the philanthropic advisor for the Gulf Coast Community Fund and has helped the foundation in the construction of an affordable housing project for veterans.
As a veteran, and through working with veterans, Bannister knows firsthand the challenges that can come with transitioning from military to civilian life.
She recalled working for Goodwill when she encountered a Marine who was honorably discharged after serving 12 years. He struggled to find employment, and he and his family ended up living in a car. She worked with him to find a job and help him reintegrate into the civilian workforce.
His story was similar to many other veterans in the area.
“You’ve been trained to be a soldier but then you send them back to the U.S. and they don’t have the opportunity to reacclimate,” Bannister said. “Right now, the most important thing is mental health and getting them the services they need.”
Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Veterans’ Housing initiative has been a highlight of Bannister’s career. The project, which broke ground in Sarasota in October 2023, is expected to be complete in the fall, Bannister said.
“We’re trying to give (veterans) a hand up and the ability to reacclimate them to the civilian world and whatever needs they might have,” she said. “To be a part of Gulf Coast and watch a team come together and create a plan of action, implement it and see it come to life is humbling. This is proof of concept. If we can prove that we can do this and we can change the lives of veterans, hopefully we’ll get to do this again in the future.”
She said the first time she ever saw a Marine cry was when the Sarasota City Commission gave approval to provide land for the housing project.
“We were so overwhelmed that we had been circling for so many years trying to find just one little ounce of hope to move this forward, and we finally got it,” she said.
Bannister’s passion for serving and helping veterans runs in the family.
Her grandfather Leonard Hildenbrand also served in the Air Force, and now her 21-year-old son, Joey Gallina, is training with the special operations warfare team with the Air Force.
Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas is the site of basic military training for the active duty regular Air Force. As a result, Hildenbrand and Bannister walked the same path at the Air Force’s graduation ceremony, and now Gallina will do the same.
Knowing she’s instilled in her son the importance of service and giving back, no matter at what capacity, gives her an immense sense of pride.
“As a parent, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, how many things have I done wrong?” she said. “But that’s the one thing you can go, ‘I did that right.’ I’m grateful for that.”
