San Diego nonprofit CEO fights for feminine veterans of previous and current

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — For ABC 10News’s Girls’s Historical past Month protection, and simply in time to wrap up Girls’s Navy Historical past Week, we profile Jodie Grenier, the CEO of nonprofit Basis for Girls Warriors.

Lots has modified in San Diego within the final eight years since Grenier took over the Basis — going from her position as an intelligence officer within the Marines to main a bunch of girls who’re working arduous to serve feminine veterans of each previous and current.

Grenier opened a warehouse through the COVID-19 pandemic to assist out feminine veterans with important provides, however its operations have solely continued to develop over the previous few years.

“I believe over the previous 4 years, we’ve served nicely over 2,000 girls by means of our warehouse alone,” Grenier mentioned.

Grenier mentioned over 60% of the ladies they’re serving to are single mothers, they usually’re additionally receiving assist with stipends for lease, utilities, and childcare from the Basis.

Outdoors of this warehouse, the work of the Basis has no limits. Grenier and her group are actively creating change, and the indicators of their arduous work are rising in all places in San Diego.

Lately, Grenier and her colleague Shaeli Chapmen spearheaded a challenge to have a California license plate decal permitted for ladies navy veterans.

“When somebody sees that license plate on the on the highway, they know that girls served they usually’re going to see rising numbers of these license plates,” Grenier mentioned.

On prime of serving to out her fellow girls warriors, Grenier additionally felt a ardour for the feminine veterans who got here earlier than her, and she or he’s ensuring they’re rightfully honored posthumously.

For instance, the VA Medical Heart in La Jolla has new identify due to Grenier and the Basis — the Jennifer Moreno Division of Veterans Affairs Medical Heart.

“We additionally labored with a panel to rename the San Diego VA after our very personal Captain Jennifer Moreno, who was killed in motion in Afghanistan. Moreno was a San Diego native,” Grenier mentioned.

The Basis did the identical for a pavilion contained in the VA medical heart.

“Kathleen Bruyerer is one in all eight girls who sued the Secretary of the Navy to ensure that girls to serve on ships a few years in the past,” Grenier mentioned. “There’s a division inside the VA hospital additionally named after her.”

And one yr in the past this month, Grenier and her group fought for the primary all-Black girls’s unit referred to as the Six AAA to be awarded Congressional Gold Medals.

“They went to France and England and their activity was to clear a backlog of 17 million items of mail. This linked troops to their households,” Grenier mentioned.

When requested if she ever imagined she can be main a nonprofit that’s making such timeless affect, Grenier mentioned, “I didn’t image myself on this place, however I get up grateful day by day for the group and the work that we’re capable of do. I actually really feel like we’re making a palpable distinction within the lives of our veterans. We see it as our entire accountability not solely to serve our girls veterans, however to make sure that everybody understands that they’ve contributed on par with their male counterparts.”

Grenier and her group have new initiatives within the pipeline.

They’re at present working with lawmakers to see that the “Hey Women” of WWI additionally obtain the Congressional Metals of Honor.

Grenier mentioned the Hey Women linked over 26 million calls and translated them from French to English to assist entrance line troops coordinate assaults and contributed to the success of the struggle.

The inspiration all the time wants assist, In the event you’d like to assist these girls out of their fights at each the state and federal ranges for feminine veterans rights, go to https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/#