Grant and Mia saw the strain on the faces of the families, especially the young children. They felt that something needed to be done.  From that day Operation Rest & Relaxation was born.  The mission from the start was to bring Soldiers and their families, from the surrounding military bases, to Hilton Head Island for a short vacation.  They realized it had to happen at little or no cost to the Soldiers.  The Evans reached out to local homeowners and asked if they would donate an off-season week for soldiers and their families to stay.  They reached out to restaurants to ask for discounts on meals.  They contacted grocery stores to ask for gift cards so the families could buy food during their stay. They all said yes.  Operation R&R was able to put together these resources and began to provide the families with a vacation. 

During the last ten years, ORR has brought more than 1,500 Soldiers and their families to the Island.  What started out as just some time together has grown to become more than just rest.  The feedback from the Soldiers' families has been overwhelmingly positive.  They speak about how the trip gave them an opportunity to reconnect with their families after returning from deployment.  The Commanding Offices of the bases said they feel coming here is one of the most significant contributions to the betterment of their Soldiers' lives stateside.  In 2010 Gold Star families were added to the mission statement.  As the credo states: 'All gave some; some gave All'. For the Gold Star families, coming here is a place to get the family together and begin the healing process after loosing a loved one who served their country.  In 2018 Operation R&R is honored to announce they will be bringing, with the assistance of The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, First Responders from the Fire Department of New York and the New York Police Department who are facing challenges resulting from their heroic service on 9/11.  

From those humble beginnings 10 years ago, Operation R&R has grown to become one of the largest and most successful nonprofits on Hilton Head Island. 

Grant sold his business and with Mia, his wife of 40 years, moved to Hilton Head permanently.   This allows them to put more energy into this most worthy cause. In addition to ORR, they volunteer for Kairos International, a men and women's Christian Prison Ministry.