Aracely joined the military at the age of 19, right out of high school, wanting nothing more than to be a part of the “most elite military power on Earth.” She wanted to put to use the values that she was taught by her mother such as loyalty, duty, respect and honor — the same values associated with our military. She worked hard and did not let “being a girl” discourage her from any challenges. However, being a single mother made it difficult to stay in the military, so she took a break from service to raise her children. In that time, her stepfather passed away, leaving no one to take care of her mother financially. Her mother moved in to take care of her kids and Aracely volunteered to deploy in order to provide for them. Within two weeks she left for training, then went straight to Iraq. She injured her knee and back, but did not allow that to hold her back. While in Iraq, she worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week on high stress, secret missions. When Aracely returned home, her mother moved out of their home without notice, leaving her with two children to care for again and forced to leave the military for good.
Since then, her physical injuries have worsened. She has constant nerve pain in her back, shoulder, arm, hand and fingers, and has tinnitus in her ear. She also suffers from constant eye irritation, which keeps her from driving. Her knee injury makes it difficult for her to get upstairs and she was recently informed that her condition will not improve and will in fact only get worse. With your much-needed help, we were able to move Aracely from a two story home to a fully ADA single story home, something that would not be possible without additional funds. Now Aracely and her children are so excited to be moving into one of the homes in our Santa Clarita Enriched Neighborhood®. They will be moving into a single story unit, making it easier for her to get around the house. She looks forward to having a little garden of her own — something that eases her anxiety and stress. Her daughter, Sady, looks forward to being able to get a pet, something that is not allowed at their current apartment.
October 7 & 8, 2016
Rappel down from the roof of the 25-story
Hilton Universal City
All proceeds go directly towards the construction of new homes and social services for low-income Veterans and their families.
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Rappel spaces are limited!