Because of Coronado Rotary’s deep commitment to helping service members from all branches of the military, the club recently donated $30,000 to Wounded Warrior Homes (WWH) located in San Marcos. These funds are intended to further the important work this organization does for former service members in our region.
Rotarian Stephanie Anderson, Co-Chair of Rotary’s Low Tide Ride & Stride in June, presented the check to Rick Espitia, Chairman and President of WWH, explaining that Rotary’s Low Tide Ride & Stride event is a fundraiser specifically for our military and first responders. A record number of 734 runners, walkers, and bikers participated in this annual time-honored event, raising more than $186,000 for various local recipients.
According to WWH’s Espitia, “Rotary’s funds of $30,000 will be utilized for two major projects recently launched.” These projects include their “Operation Mental Health” initiative that provides mental health services, at no cost, to Veterans who are in their care. WWH is currently building a robust staff of licensed clinical therapists to assist these former service members with their various needs.
Their other recently launched project is the “Women’s Veteran Center” that provides services to homeless women veterans and their children. “We provide housing, a learning center, mental health services, a food pantry, and educational guidance at no cost to our women,” Espitia explains.
“Our programs make a difference,” according to Espitia. “Two recent graduates of our program have finished their college degrees, one in Computer Science and the other in Music Production. Our veterans are completing their education pursuits,” Espitia emphasizes.
The mission of WWH is to provide or facilitate reintegrative services and short-term housing that help veterans in need transition to productive civilian lives. “We help homeless veterans get off the street and rehabilitated into a healthy lifestyle,” Espitia clarifies. “Through our food pantry, counseling, partnership with Animeals and rehabilitative services, we help more than 500 veterans annually.”
