SWFL Loves Our Vets kicks off campaign
The goal is to build a home for a veteran in need and with this group of givers and public and private partners, there is a great chance it will succeed.
The Republican Women of Cape Coral, Wounded Warrior Angers and the Cape Coral REMAX Realty team have forged a partnership to create the SWFL Loves Our Vets Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist in providing continuing care for area veterans.
The ultimate goal is to raise enough money to build a house for a wounded veteran, such as the home that was built for Corey Kent.
The home will be built to the veteran’s specific needs.
On Tuesday, at the REMAX offices in Cape Coral, dozens of people, including several politicians, came to kick off the announcement of their plans with food, song and even the Hot Flashz dance troupe.
Keith Campbell, director for the Wounded Warrior Anglers, said Jeremy Johnson, one of the members of the group, reached out to them and the RWCCF with an idea to help veterans.
“We got together and asked for their ideas. They said they wanted to build a veteran a new home and wanted us to get involved because of our 501c3 designation. We could help raise money and funnel it through the 501c3 and get the house built,” Campbell said.
Marty Wisher, chair for the RWCCF Caring for America, said because of their Caring for America wing, they started talking to people who had worked for vets and the idea had quickly sprung to help them.
“We started this about a month and a half ago and this is the launch. There were so many people who wanted to get involved,” Wisher said.
One of the organizations was REMAX. The RWCCF contacted Johnson, a former Cape Coral Construction Industry Association president who had many connections. He rallied the troops and got them to where they were Tuesday.
During the event, they announced how they were going to find that one veteran they were going to try to help. For the next 90 to 120 days, veterans will be asked to fill out an application to know what that particular person needs specifically for their home.
From there it will take another 30 to 45 days to identify the veteran and design the house around their needs and another 60 days for permitting. In the meantime, they will accept donations to get the project completed.
Ground is expected to be broken around April 1, with the house to be completed by this time next year, Johnson said, who added they hope to find someone to donate land near the VA Hospital, as well as services and cash.
Tammy Campbell, of McLeod’s Construction, said her company would donate the painting after her husband, Keith, got the project going.
“This is their first endeavor as far as volunteering to a non-profit, though they have done things to support veterans,” Campbell said. “They look forward to it.”
“One of our goals is to give the one that falls through the cracks or a vet whose wounds you can’t always see. If they need help, but maybe not getting everything from the VA, the people in the community want to come together and fill in the gap,” Wisher said.
Among the dignitaries were City Councilmember Rana Erbrick, State Rep. Dane Eagle and County Commissioner Brian Hamman.
“Anybody who is going to go serve us in the service deserve all the best care and treatment they can get when they return home,” Hamman said.
“It’s a call to duty, a community gathering to get fundraising going and all people in arms, so I’m happy to help them with that,” Eagle said.
For more information or to fill out an application, go to wwanglers.org or republicanwomenofcapecoral.com