The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and its affiliated Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation jointly provided $33,000 in funding to Gold Coast Veteran’s Foundation (“GCVF”), a local nonprofit, to purchase a van so it can increase its capacity to serve veterans in Ventura County through greater outreach efforts and veteran access.
The van increases the capacity of GCVF to rapidly serve veterans in need, with one-on-one, peer-to-peer assistance, enabling the nonprofit’s Mobile Veteran Outreach Program to reach and change the lives of a greater number of veterans. The van is used to deliver food and to transport veterans to essential medical, counseling, employment and financial appointments. The van is also used for wellness checks of at-risk veterans.
Positive outcomes ultimately expected from the new van include increased veteran employment and finances, food sustainability, successful outcomes with VA administrative issues and a better quality of life, health and well-being of veterans in Ventura County.
The new van includes a full vehicle wrap with GCVF information and that highlights the generosity of the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and the Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation. The project is also providing opportunities for Rotary Club members to volunteer in assisting with the Mobile Veteran Outreach Program.
Gold Coast Veterans Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to the care of the 43,000 veterans and their spouses who live in our community, and operates the only full service facility dedicated to veterans and their families in Ventura County. Each year, GCVF services over 2,500 veterans who reach out to them for care, through various outreach, benefits access, housing, medical, financial, wellness/counseling and other programs.
