News Release – SDVC Year of 2025 Military and Veteran Families

News Release – SDVC Year of 2025 Military and Veteran Families

 Media Contact:

Marianne Delatorre, Community Engagement Manager, Elizabeth Dole Foundation

SDVC Co-Champion

marianne@elizabethdolefoundation.org

(619) 849-0609

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 12, 2025

San Diego Veterans Coalition Launches “2025: Year of Military and Veteran Families”

The Office of Mayor Todd Gloria and Office of Vice Chair Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer Join San Diego Veterans Coalition for Launch of 2025: Year of Military and Veteran Families

San Diego, CA – Last Friday, the Office of Mayor Todd Gloria and the Office of County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, in collaboration with the San Diego Veterans Coalition, launched the “2025: Year of Military and Veteran Families” at the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This initiative aims to strengthen support for military and veteran families across the region through a series of events, activities, and a best practices guide over the next year.

San Diego is home to more than 800,000 active-duty service members, veterans, and their families, making it one of the largest military and veteran communities in the nation. In 2016, San Diego became the first-ever “Hidden Heroes City” in partnership with the San Diego Veterans Coalition and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, a designation that highlights the vital role that family members play as military caregivers. Since then, the San Diego Veterans Coalition has been at the forefront of advocating for the inclusion and support of military and veteran families within the broader community.

In alignment with national efforts, the San Diego Veterans Coalition mirrors the approach of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ 2023 mission statement update to include families, caregivers, and survivors. This expanded focus will build a robust network of resources to ensure military and veteran families are supported throughout their entire journey.

“Military and veteran spouses, children, parents, and siblings have had to readjust to deployments, returns, multiple relocations, and make greater social adjustments than most of the general population,” said Ron Stark, President of the San Diego Veterans Coalition. “They go through structural challenges of childcare, economic and food insecurity, and mental healthcare access. Their resilience is remarkable, and it’s time we give them the recognition and resources they deserve.”

“More and more San Diegans are having to take on the responsibility of caring for their loved ones on their own. It’s a duty many families of service members and veterans already fulfill in silence, but their stories need to be shared — so these families can be seen, and so our communities can support them,” said Vice Chair Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, District 3, County of San Diego.

“I am a proud member of a military family whose grandparents served in uniform and settled in San Diego. It gives me a real understanding of how service members, veterans, and their families are the DNA of our community,” said Mayor Todd Gloria, City of San Diego. “Significant progress has been made from the establishment of the Military, Veterans, and Families Advisory Council, the hiring of dedicated staff for veterans’ affairs, and a groundbreaking childcare partnership geared towards military families. Working with the San Diego Veterans Coalition on this important initiative ensures families are never an afterthought but instead are part of our primary mission.”

The “2025: Year of Military and Veteran Families” will feature a variety of community-driven events, workshops, and resources designed to address the unique challenges faced by these families. By fostering deeper collaboration between local government, the San Diego Veterans Coalition, and other community organizations, this initiative looks to build a model of care that can be replicated nationwide.

For more information about the 2025: Year of Military and Veteran Families initiative, please visit sdvetscoalition.org/ or contact marianne@elizabethdolefoundation.org.

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ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO VETERANS COALITION:

The San Diego Veterans Coalition was organized in 2009 and incorporated as a non-profit on May 24, 2011. Using the Collective Impact Model, SDVC is a premier San Diego County-wide monthly convener of over 150 unique member and participating organizations, businesses, and agencies, as well as convening many of that body in our four action groups, and other activities and events.