Veterans United Home Loans announces 2023 #ThanksToVeterans Tour

November 11, 2022

COLUMBIA, Mo., Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterans United Home Loans, the nation's largest VA lender, is continuing its #ThanksToVeterans RV tour in 2023, after a successful inaugural voyage in the lead-up to Veterans Day 2022.

Over the past month, employees of Veterans United have traveled the country celebrating and shining a light on the ways Veterans continue to serve and strengthen their communities, said Kris Farmer, chief marketing officer for Veterans United.

"We know our communities are made stronger thanks to Veterans," said Farmer, an Army veteran. "This year, rather than focus on what Veterans get on Veterans Day, we wanted to tour the country to shine a light on the ways Veterans give back to their communities every day."

Since Oct. 7, the #ThanksToVeterans RV has traveled through 24 states and Washington, D.C., logging nearly 8,000 miles and more than 1,500 volunteer hours served. The tour did service projects alongside Veterans in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, California and Missouri, and wrapped up its West Coast swing with a work project and celebration in San Diego on Veterans Day.

Next year, Veterans United wants to introduce its tour to more communities across the country and to hear from the nation about where they should travel in the future. A website has been created to accept nominations for causes and organizations for Veterans United to consider in 2023. For a chance to bring the #ThanksToVeterans RV tour to your community, submit your cause or organization here: https://www.thankstoveterans.com/

"We had an outstanding experience meeting some amazing Veterans from coast to coast and supporting organizations which take care of them, their families and communities," said Daniel A. Dailey, 15th Sergeant Major of the Army and employee of Veterans United.

"We met some amazing people this past month who have sacrificed significantly for our country, and we took a great amount of pride in being able to give back to them as a small way of saying thank you," said Dailey. "We're looking forward to expanding our reach even further next year, and that's where we need help from everyone to tell us where we can be impactful. We ask people to visit our website and tell us about our Veterans and community heroes who we should pay a visit to in 2023."

In October, the tour started in Washington, D.C., at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and expo, where Veteran volunteers joined their team and actor and Marine Corps Veteran Rob Riggle to assemble 500 craft kits for military children through the Armed Services YMCA just ahead of the holidays. The RV then traveled to Lifeline Equine Therapy Services in Maryland, Camp Freedom in Pennsylvania, the Travis Mills Foundation in Maine, the Veteran and Military Fall Fest in Louisiana, Bowen Combative Arts in Tennessee, VFW Post 805 in Illinois and Team Fidelis in Missouri.

"These service projects create awareness and allow people to find their comfort zone when it comes to volunteering or supporting their communities," said Ronald Green,18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and military advisor to Veterans United. "This type of project could go on all year long, because there's that much of a need across the country."

On Veterans Day, Veterans United is teaming with multiple organizations in San Diego for a wide-ranging service project that is open to the local community and their families. Feeding San Diego, the Foundation for Women Warriors and Operation Gratitude will join Veterans United at the Veterans Museum in Balboa Park for an afternoon of service. Elsewhere the same day in San Diego, the lender is also partnering with Habitat for Humanity to make repairs to the home of a Veteran.

"All of the active and retired Veterans we've encountered on the road are continuing to make an impact on their local communities and even nationally," said Rick D. West, 12th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and military advisor to Veterans United. "Simply put, it's what we've been trained to do while in the military and so many continue to take it to the next level. Additionally, traveling around meeting with the groups we've focused on this first trip has been so rewarding, and it's started a conversation on what we can do next."

About Veterans United Home Loans

Based in Columbia, Missouri, the full-service national lender financed more than $29.9 billion in loans in 2021 and is the country's largest VA lender, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs Lender Statistics. The company's mission is to help Veterans and service members take advantage of the home loan benefits earned by their service.

VeteransUnited.com | 1-800-884-5560 | 550 Veterans United Drive, Columbia, MO 65201| Veterans United Home Loans NMLS # 1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Licensed in all 50 states. For State Licensing information, please visit http://www.veteransunited.com/licenses/. Equal Opportunity Lender.