Childhood grief in America is often overlooked. An estimated1 in 14 children in the U.S. will lose a parent or sibling before age 18,totaling over 4 million children nationwide. Losing a parent can be incrediblydifficult and isolating, making simple gestures very important. This is asignificant problem. According to a December 2023 report by the U.S. Departmentof Housing and Urban Development, 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness ona single night in January of that year, the highest figure since HUD beganreporting on the issue to Congress in 2007.

Hunter Burkey, born in East Fort Worth, Texas as an onlychild, experienced the divorce of his parents before he turned 6. His fatherpassed away when he was 17, and he struggled with this loss, makingself-destructive decisions. He dropped out of school, rejected footballscholarships, and found himself homeless at the age of 22, living in hisvehicle. After being invited to Austin one weekend to visit friends, he neverleft. He started as a valet in downtown Austin, couch-surfed for 9 months, andeventually got his own apartment. Four years later, he and a business partneropened their own valet company, which has since expanded from Austin toHouston, DFW, and Denver, bringing in an annual revenue of $3.2 million.

In 2015, Hunter opened a private security company inHouston, which has also expanded to Austin, DFW, San Antonio, and Denver,generating over $2.1 million in annual revenue. He has since opened anon-profit organization, an online store, and a training academy that promotesfirearms safety and training, as well as state licensing for private security.Hunter still has many plans and is eager to share his story and businessexperiences with the world. For more information, visithttps://nxtlvlsecurity.com/.