Support The Enlisted Project Launches $6.5 Million Campaign

On Oct. 26, Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) announced its Capacity Building Campaign at the organization’s annual “Fall Social” at the Thursday Club in Point Loma. The nonprofit united over 120 attendees at this private event where military members, philanthropists, elected officials, and community leaders learned about STEP’s recent success milestones and plans for future national expansion. STEP leadership took to the stage to announce the public launch of the organization’s Capacity Building Campaign to raise $6.5 million by the end of 2024. To kick off the campaign, the USS Midway, represented by USS Midway Foundation President Laura White, presented their lead gift of $1 million to STEP’s campaign with a special announcement and large check. This is the largest donation in the history of the USS Midway Foundation.

“We’re thrilled to present this gift to such a worthy cause and organization like STEP,” says White. “At the USS Midway Foundation, we’ve seen first-hand the dedication and hard work that STEP puts into each military family that needs their support, and the results are thriving households, smiling faces and most importantly, financial reassurance. The USS Midway has proudly supported STEP’s programs and services for years, and we are thrilled to kick off this campaign with our organization’s largest philanthropic investment to date.”

“We were excited to bring together many members of our military community to not only celebrate the volunteers and donors that make our work possible, but also officially launch our Capacity Building Campaign that will allow our organization to help more military members, veterans and their families,” says Tony Teravainen, CEO and co-founder, STEP. “The military members and veterans we support have served and sacrificed for our country and deserve nothing less than financial peace of mind that their family and home are taken care of.” STEP’s Capacity Building Campaign will support the organization's ability to serve more young military and veteran families in San Diego and across the Western United States, and provide substantial support for the acquisition of the organization’s San Diego headquarters and transformational change to ensure the organization is able to serve today’s and tomorrow’s military families.

In addition to the USS Midway Foundation’s major gift, two of the largest philanthropic foundations in San Diego and several private philanthropists have already committed lead gifts to STEP’s campaign, which total over $4 million to this effort. Other lead donors to this Capacity Building Campaign include the Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation, The David C. Copley Foundation, the Michael B. O'Donoghue Foundation Fund at the Orange County Community Foundation, the STEP Board of Directors, and San Diego philanthropists Ellen and Bob Svatos.

NOTE: Quotes from Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation, The David C. Copley Foundation, and the Michael B. O’Donoghue Foundation Fund at the Orange County Community Foundation are at the conclusion of this news release.

STEP honors community volunteers and celebrates 2023 Spirit of Hope Award
Guests also recognized the dedication of community volunteers and the recent national award STEP received from the U.S. Department of Defense. The following community volunteer honorees who have worked tirelessly to support our local military individuals and families:

• Volunteer of the Year: Connie Goff retired, wife of the late Captain Robert “Bob” A. Goff, USN (ret.) (Rancho Penasquitos)
• Honor Roll of Leadership: David Beatty, Owner, 832 Woodworking – STEP Volunteer and Donor (Poway)
• Honor Roll of Leadership: National Charity League, San Dieguito Chapter
• Terry McGee Leadership Award: Navy Federal Credit Union

The honorees were celebrated and asked to come to the stage to receive a glass plaque of recognition, as well as had the opportunity to provide remarks.

In addition, Teravainen, also spoke to the momentous national recognition the organization recently received from the U.S. Navy. On Sept. 14, Teravainen traveled to The Pentagon where he accepted the 2023 Spirit of Hope Award in the Hall of Heroes presented by the Department of Defense. The Spirit of Hope Award is presented to individuals or organizations, identified by each service, that embody the core values of Mr. Bob Hope, who gave generously to military men and women for five decades as a comedian and entertainer. Mr. Hope’s values of Duty, Honor, Courage, Loyalty, Commitment, Integrity, and Selfless Dedication exemplify the character traits service members embody each and every day. STEP was one of just seven honorees in the nation to receive the U.S. Navy’s 2023 Spirit of Hope Award, and is one of only a handful of military support organizations to ever receive this national recognition. At the “Fall Social,” Councilmember Marni von Wilpert presented Teravainen with the Spirit of Hope Award, and provided inspirational remarks to encourage attendees to support the organization.

Empowering our heroes to achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency
Since its inception in 2012, STEP has helped build financial self-sufficiency among junior active duty enlisted members and recently discharged enlisted Veterans and their families in need of support. Those who come to STEP for assistance are at risk of losing a basic necessity – their home, a vehicle, water, electricity, insurance – or they consistently run out of essentials, like food and baby diapers, before their next paycheck. STEP comes alongside these individuals and families to help them get back on their feet.

To date, STEP has served more than 7,400 military and Veteran families through its main Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program and has prevented 608 in-process evictions. In just 11 years, STEP has issued $2.5 million in financial assistance to retain or restore a family’s basic needs. More than 90 percent of the families who complete the EFA program improve their financial well-being permanently.

Every client family works with STEP’s social workers, all of whom are also certified financial counselors who have first-hand knowledge of military life. During the social work intervention, each family receives empowerment and education to improve their financial situation and creates a personalized financial plan to achieve their goals.

For more information about STEP and how to support its new Capacity Building Campaign and other unique programs that aid our local military service members, Veterans, and their families, visit teamstepusa.org.

ABOUT SUPPORT THE ENLISTED PROJECT (STEP)
Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) has just completed its 11th year serving young military and Veteran families facing financial crisis. As a nonprofit, community funded agency, STEP has positively touched 250,000 military lives and boasts a 90% success rate at permanently changing financial behaviors over the 7,400 families served through its Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) Program. The organization’s 10-year strategy is to expand beyond Southern California and Washington State to serve more families across the United States.

Follow STEP on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and visit teamstepusa.org for more information on how to support and get involved with the organization.

Quotes from major funders:
“Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation has been a partner to STEP since the early days and are proud of how the agency has strategically grown its mission and capacity. We are proud of our relationship and the work STEP does with military and Veteran families. San Diego needs this expansion, and we are happy to invest our Foundation's resources and the Zable good name to their continued success.”
– Warren Magill, President, Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation

“The David C. Copley Foundation is proud to support STEP’s Capacity Building Campaign. While San Diego County is a beautiful location for our military and their families to be stationed, the cost of living here makes it difficult for young-enlisted military to make ends meet which can create a host of financial problems. STEP’s one-on-one financial counseling, along with providing funds for unexpected emergencies makes their services invaluable. With the recent influx of military families moving to San Diego, STEP needs to expand so that it can continue to support and grow its services for military families.”
– Kim Koch, Chief Operating Officer, David C. Copley Foundation

“We are honored to support Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) in their efforts to serve the men and women that have sacrificed so much for our nation, especially in their time of need.”
– Lois O’Donoghue, Michael B. O'Donoghue Foundation Fund at the Orange County Community Foundation.