As a disabled veteran myself, I am proud to say that I served my country with dignity but there is one thing that stuck with me during my military career and transition into civilian life. The idea that I always believed in was the statement “No man/woman will be left behind when it comes to serving in our military”. Over the years since leaving the military, I have become appalled and disgusted with the way our veterans are treated once they return from serving their country. The biggest thing that bothers me is that the number of homeless veterans living on the streets of our communities has become astronomical and it seems the government would rather help every person from immigrants (illegal and legal) to the average person who chooses to do nothing to better themselves other than sit back and wait for handouts from the government. I have created my organization to do what we can to turn the tide and get homeless veterans off the streets by connecting them with the resources that will allow them access to the benefits they earned as service members. My intention is to help as many fellow disabled veterans receive the care they need to deal with their personal situations and create an opportunity for them to have a brighter future, so I created Bigg Chico Cares to assist in their transition from living on the streets.

Bigg Chico Cares is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization actively focused on the plight of homeless veterans and underprivileged youth in our society.

Our mission at Bigg Chico Cares is to help homeless veterans and underprivileged youth find the resources available to them so that they can begin a path to a brighter future.

We intend to create transitional housing for homeless veterans as they work their way through the resources offered through the VA related to their benefits as veterans. We also intend to help with providing temporary shelter, locating shelters when warranted, provide food, water and any other basic personal hygiene items that they may need.

We intend to help underprivileged youth in our communities connect with available resources to find educational assistance, jobs and mentorship in order to create positive opportunities for their future. Annually we intend to have events designed to provide relief to the parents of these underprivileged children in the form of a back-to-school drive, Thanksgiving food drive, Christmas drive for toys and an Easter event geared towards fellowship and fun.

We will continue to strive to expand our programs with the generosity of individuals and businesses in our community who want to help homeless veterans and underprivileged youth get the help they need for a chance at a better life in the future.