Conversations with RO Gonzalez

Today we’d like to introduce you to RO Gonzalez. 

RO, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Valors Veterans Community AZ was founded in March 2018. Was started to fill a gap that was missing in the Veteran Community as in connecting Veterans with Veterans and Resources. It amazes me how many Veterans don’t know of so many resources out there and how they can reach out to utilize them. One of our main goals is to have Veterans come together and find a “Battle Buddy” or be able to socialize and participate team-building atmosphere. We are a volunteer-based org so we have no employees and no one gets paid to do what we do. So, 100% of our funds we receive goes to all our programs/Veterans. We do everything from giving golf lessons, attend movie screenings, attend sporting events, volunteer at Ironman, help with the DBACKS 5k run (water stations and registration), donate clothes and food to homeless Veterans, we celebrate Military Holidays with Cookouts, and also have a Veterans Day 5k and attend Veteran resource events. We also a program to have Veterans represent Valors at Veteran Events or be POC of an event. You would have to have a desire and willingness to be a Valors Ambassador. An ambassador is the face of Valors, they are the reason we have been so successful at what we do is because of the relentless determination and commitment from them. 

My ultimate goal is to open a Veteran Resource Center in Tempe by 2025. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been a lot of bumps and obstacles that we had to overcome but at the end of the day, it was all worth it. We struggled for a long time to get Veterans to attend coffee socials, bicycle rides, community cleanup events, and resource events because of personal choice. But once I started doing Facebook lives and posting videos of what we do at our events, our attendance started to grow. Little by little, we have grown to over 1.2k members and have to say well worth the struggle and knowledge in growing the group. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the person that connects the dots in the Veteran Community. I have a lot of resources and connections in the Veteran Community that a lot of other orgs will ask me for a referral. I’m always trying to help an up-and-coming Veteran nonprofit. Mentor them, connect them with the resources they need to be successful, and to be able to say I helped that org become what it has today. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
The one thing I love BEST about our city is the 9 months of San Diego weather while the rest of the country is too cold or dealing with other weather conditions. The least I like about our city is the 3 months of extreme heat and not being able to go outside and golf or mountain bike ride in the afternoons or evenings. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@vvcaz.org
• Website: valorsveteranscommunityaz.org
• Instagram: @vvcaztempe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VVCAZ/