ARIZONA

Ro Gonzalez

Founder, Valors Veteran Community | Tempe, Arizona

Ro Gonzalez considers himself an “old-school Marine.” He served during the Cold War, from 1987 to1991. While his service was a few decades ago, the community he experienced with his fellow Marines had a deep and lasting influence on his post-military life and gave him the incentive to create an organization for veterans in need.

Connecting veterans with other veterans was a revelation drawn from a dark moment of suicide ideation. While away from home, his computer repair shop was vandalized, resulting in the loss of all business and high replacement costs. Gonzalez who had sustained a traumatic brain injury during his military service, was unable to cope with these challenges. It was during that life-and-death moment he received a life-affirming call from his daughter, and he turned his thoughts to how he could help other veterans in times of crisis. He realized his life experiences gave him the ability to understand other veterans going through desperate times, and he began to volunteer for veteran initiatives and special programs provided by his hometown, Tempe, Arizona. Gonzalez started his own organization after recognizing the need to help veterans connect with other veterans.

In 2018, Gonzalez founded the nonprofit Valors Veterans Community AZ and has since helped more than 10,000 Arizona veterans with employment and education resources, and social skills to help them move forward in their lives and better themselves.

“Our motto is connecting veterans with veterans and resources,” said Gonzalez in a “We Are The Mighty” interview. “That’s what we do, we connect veterans with other veterans through a lot of social events, but we also help with education, employment, homelessness and veteran transition all over Arizona.”

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gonzalez’s organization helped the Navajo Nation veteran community, one of Arizona’s hardest-hit areas.

“They were hit hard by COVID because they have such a large elderly population,” said Gonzalez. “We hooked them up with gallons of sanitizers, along with other PPE, diapers, laundry soap, food, water, you name it. Altogether, we donated more than $10,000 worth of items.”

Valors Veterans Community AZ operates on a thin budget with one hundred percent of donations going to veteran support. Veterans are not required to repay monetarily. Instead, they’re asked to do some volunteering so they can see the impact of volunteering in a community.

“The number one thing is, if you’re struggling, there’s no shame in asking for help,” he said. “Every once in a while, no matter what you’re going through, you just need a little guidance. We’re happy to help.”