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BY EDMOND ORTIZ
Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo o cials celebrated Oct. 13 the bank’s donation of a 2024 Ford F150.
COURTESY MILITARY WARRIORS SUPPORT FOUNDATION
Foundation helps veterans transition to civilian life
recovering veterans the tools they need to grow, discover a purpose in civilian life and create a plan to fulll that purpose, MWSF ocials said. HOPE4Heroes is a one-year program that pro- vides veterans, especially small business owners, personalized nancial mentorship. Digging deeper Kinser said since MWSF’s inception, more than 900 mortgage- and gift tax-free homes and 130-plus payment-free vehicles were awarded to wounded veterans and Gold Star families nationwide. Eligible recovering veterans and Gold Star family members may apply for help through the founda- tion’s website, Kinser said. Depending on a specic program, foundation sta may ask applicants for military documentation and some nancial information. If an applicant is approved for the Transportation4Heroes program, that person, for example, will receive monthly mentoring in order to better manage their nances and properly maintain their vehicle. “We want to make sure folks who receive a [mortgage-free] home or [a payment-free] •vehic•le that they’ve got the means to manage it,” she said. Kinser said they aim to do what they can to help recovering veterans and Gold Star families to alleviate some of their burden. “When wounded heroes don’t have to worry about having a roof over their head or losing their vehicle, they can focus on healing, create some good habits, create a new normal for them and gure out what their next steps are going to be,” she said.
For 16 years, the Military Warriors Support Foundation in north San Antonio has oered ser- vices that help recovering wounded veterans with home and vehicle ownership, life skills, nancial education, leadership development and outdoor recreation opportunities. The nonprot oers the same services to Gold Star families, who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. Casey Kinser, the foundation’s executive vice president, said clients want to be self-sustainable, but also know they are not alone in their challenges. “A majority of these [wounded veterans] weren’t intending to get out of the military,” Kinser said. “They gured the military was going to be their plan, but after they were wounded, the trajectory of their life completely changed.” Did you know? MWSF has ve programs. Homes4Wound- edHeroes awards mortgage-free homes to com- bat-wounded veterans and unmarried Gold Star spouses whose loved one was killed-in-action. Also, the recipient receives three years of family and nancial mentoring. The Transportation4Heroes program extends payment-free vehicles and one year of family and nancial mentoring to eligible clients. The Skills4Life program oers clients peer-to- peer mentorship through outdoor recreational opportunities such as hunting, shing and golng. Leadership4Life is a one-year personal growth and development program designed to give
Casey Kinser
COURTESY MILITARY WARRIORS SUPPORT FOUNDATION
Military Warriors Support Foundation volunteers take part in a house beauti cation project in San Antonio.
COURTESY MILITARY WARRIORS SUPPORT FOUNDATION
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211 N. Loop 1604 E., Ste. 250, San Antonio www.militarywarriors.org
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