Events
6/11/22- Partnership with US Vets and Habitat for Humanity
We helped construct two transition homes for homeless female veterans who have been victims of sexual violence whilst serving in the military. These transition homes will help to provide a safe sanctuary in a female-only environment for these servicewomen and their children.
6/24/22- Worked with US Vets
Assisted with the intake of a homeless veteran on his first day at the facility. We also assisted with transitioning a female veteran out of the facility. We met with many different veterans across all age groups to learn how to better serve them in the future. Coincidentally Roe vs Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court on this very day. We were able to witness firsthand the impact this decision had on the female veterans living in the shelter. We worked with the shelter director to help dissipate heated conversations centered around a very sensitive topic.
8/24/22 Bingo Event at USVets
Teens4Vets hosted bingo for 30 vets at the homeless shelter, US Vets. Prizes such as gift cards, watches, and coffee pots were given to the winners of each bingo round. The vets were ultra competitive, especially across the different branches of service. We also provided a warm meal with the aim of filling their stomachs and spirits. Some veterans expressed how lonely and isolated they felt because of COVID and were thrilled to interact with our team of teens. The highlight was when the veterans shared stories about their service. It was inspirational to hear a story about a vet who suffered a gunshot injury to the head while in service leaving him a paraplegic. He did intense therapy and worked vigorously to be able to walk again. It was an impactful experience for our team and the veterans had an amazing time.
11/5/22- Veteran’s Day Bingo Event
Teens4Vets hosted another bingo for 35 vets in the facility. We brought pizza and drinks for the veterans. Prizes included a variety of things, such as silverware, wireless headphones, coffee makers, and much more. We also provided tech support to help vets activate phone cards and even taught a few newbies how to send a text message! Everyone had a blast!
2/5/2023- US Vets Bingo Event/Bike Giveaway
Teens4Vets hosted a bingo event for 35 homeless veterans to help them get out of their shell. Our goal was creating a fun and lively event where our heroes could interact with teens. We gave away prizes such as headphones, speakers, shaving kits, dish sets, and more. This time we also had a raffle for a bike that was a coveted prize! Try to imagine the freedom a new bike can give a homeless vet to help them get to a job interview, buy groceries or other things they may need. We would like to give a huge shoutout to Florindino’s Pizza and Pasta for providing the catering for this event, all free of charge! Our vets left with full bellies and happy smiles.
3/25/2023- 50th Anniversary Welcome Home Vietnam Vets
Teens4Vets brought over 20 volunteers to this event where over 1500 people were in attendance. We also hosted a booth where veterans and attendees could stop by and meet us. We were included in the pinning ceremony where we personally thanked and acknowledged the sacrifice of these soldiers by handing out pins that were issued by the Department of Defense. It truly was a surreal experience where many vets had tears in their eyes when they accepted their pins. We were honored and privileged to have veterans share their stories about their return home which for some left them feeling abandoned and dejected. We raffled off a Pat Tillman shirt to a lucky lady at the end of the day. This was by far the biggest event that we have been part of so far! The event was featured on Fox 10 News, which made it even more exciting (https://vimeo.com/814053470/f3b4966fa0).
4/1/2023- Valors Veterans Community AZ (VVCAZ) Donation
VVCAZ generously donated two boxes of sweatshirts that will be distributed at our outreach, US Vets, to homeless veterans in need of clothing.
4/7/23- Spoke with Mike Kemery, Veteran of Foreign Wars Commander, Department of AZ
Met with Mr. Kemery, where we discussed the needs of the VFW and how Teens4Vets could partner with them to meet those needs.
5/13/23- Congressman Andy Biggs’s Drop Zone Event
Teens4Vets hosted a booth at this resource fair to help provide much-needed services to our veterans such as free medical and dental screenings, free haircuts, and outreach to help with navigating the VA system. Our organization also received special congressional recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the community. Vietnam veterans were acknowledged and given pins from the Department of Defense. We talked with Congressman Andy Biggs and his staff members on how to better serve our nation’s heroes.
5/26/23- Making Care Kits for the Homeless
We made care kits to hand out containing a sweatshirt, socks, water, food, and grooming kits. Our organization hand delivered these kits to local homeless people we encountered.
5/27/23- Memorial Day Bingo Event at USVets.
Teens4Vets wanted to honor our fallen heroes by bringing cheer to our homeless veterans. Over 35 veterans were in attendance, leaving the room standing room only. With help of Florindino’s Teens4Vets was able to provide a delicious hot meal. Prizes included things such as a toaster oven, electric shaver, stainless steel cookware, towels, bedding, and more. Our goal is to provide items these veterans will need as they move into more stable housing. Our raffle gift was a Samsung computer, which a lucky veteran received. We enjoyed meeting a veteran named John, who shared his paintings with our volunteers.
5/29/23- Haskell Osife-Antone American Legion Unit 51 Memorial Day March
Teens4Vets was invited by the Gila River Indian Community to volunteer and participate in their Memorial Day walk/run. There was a flag ceremony to honor our fallen heroes, which was truly touching. It was an amazing experience meeting service members from this community across all branches. We were very privileged to be in attendance.
8/5/23- Haircut and Bingo Event at US Vets
For this event, Teens4Vets wanted to do something unique for our heroes. Along with providing these vets with a hot meal from Brooklyn V’s Pizza and prizes including a laptop, Teens4Vets also provided these veterans with haircuts! We would like to give a special shoutout to Beauty Institute for providing the transformative haircuts. It was surreal to see how a simple haircut can improve a veteran’s confidence and self-esteem. With over 40 veterans in attendance, it was truly a great experience.
8/20/23 Mentorship at Summer Scrubs Program-Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital
Teens4Vets gave a presentation to students of the Gila River Community participating in the Summer Scrubs program at Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital. We educated these eager teens about taking their passion for community service and turning it into an organization with an impact and meaning. We taught them how to come up with a name for their organization, how to form a 501(c)(3) and how to build a website. We also educated them on fundraising and using social media platforms to engage with and recruit volunteers as well as for raising funds. David Anderson from the American Legion Post 51 came out to educate the group on the Native American service heroes and the challenges they faced while in service and after returning to civilian life. We bonded over making thank you letters for the veterans at the American Legion Posts on the Gila River Community showing our support and gratitude for their service and sacrifice. This was a truly meaningful facet of our organization and we felt honored and privileged to teach the youth how to make an impact on their community.
9/09/23-9/11 Memorial and Flag Planting at Tempe Town Lake
Teens4Vets was invited to the annual flag planting at Tempe Town Lake. These flags honor the men, women, and first responders that lost their lives on that fateful day. We also remembered those who lost their lives in the War on Terror, those who enlisted to protect their country to ensure that another event like this will never occur again. We planted flags and tied ribbons around the perimeter, which symbolized strength and unity.
11/11/23- Veteran’s Day Parade
Teens4Vets participated in the Veteran’s Day March in Phoenix, Arizona. Our volunteers passed out necklaces, flags, and pins to those in the crowd to honor those who have served. We were able to listen to the stories of many veterans serving in a variety of wars, from Korea to Vietnam. It was such a great experience to be in attendance alongside those who risked their lives to protect our country.
11/25/23- Thanksgiving Bingo at US Vets
Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend, Teens4Vets gave back to our heroes with a bingo event, giving out prizes such as dish sets, coffee makers, and a computer! Special thanks to Florindino’s for catering a hot meal for our vets!
12/12/23- Christmas Card Writing at Hamilton High School
Teens4Vets worked with Hamilton High School’s National Honor Society to make Christmas cards for our veterans, thanking them for their service! With 25+ people attending, over 100 cards were made! They will be hand-delivered this weekend when we go to visit the veterans at the homeless shelter.
US Vets December 2023
Over the weekend, Hamilton National Honors Society and Teens4Vets partnered up to give our veterans a wonderful surprise! We set up cookie decoration stations, where our volunteers sat alongside veterans, listening to the stories that each veteran had to tell. Veterans who were usually quiet finally opened up to our volunteers, and it was a wonderful sight to see. Along with hot pizza for lunch, the veterans got to enjoy bingo at the end of the day, and Walmart gift cards were given to the winners. However, the highlight was the social interaction and stories that each veteran got to tell our amazing volunteers, who sat and conversed with our heroes. With over 25 volunteers and 30 veterans in attendance, this was our biggest event yet!
Wreaths Across America 12/16
Teens4Vets participated in the Wreaths Across America event, where our volunteers laid wreaths on 2,018 graves at Mountain View Cemetery, with each wreath honoring an individual who answered the call of his or her nation. It was amazing to see our community come together to honor our fallen heroes.
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