Marty Peters with Veteran's Village CEO Kim Mitchell and founder Jack Lyon
Kim Mitchell (second from left) and Jack Lyon (second from right) with Rotary Club of Del Mar members who served on active duty between November 1955 and May 1975 (l to r): Monty Woolley, Tom Ryan, Jim McClellan, Bob Sonnhalter and Tom Woolsey
Jack Lyon, together with fellow Vietnam veterans Bill Mahedy, Randy Waite, Paul Grasso and Russ Kelly, founded Veteran’s Village in 1981 as a resource to help disenfranchised veterans access services to which they were entitled. From its small beginnings, the organization has grown to serve more than 2,000 veterans annually by providing transitional housing and programs tailored to its five pillars of success: Prevention, Intervention, Rehabilitation, Aftercare and Employment Services.
Jack introduced Veteran’s Village’s newly installed CEO, Kim Mitchell, who co-founded the Dixon Center for Veterans and Military Services after having served in the Navy for 17 years. Ms. Mitchell, a Naval Academy graduate, reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander serving onboard surface ships and at shore commands. In her last two years in active duty she was the Deputy Director of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Office of Warrior and Family Support before assuming duties as a White House Military Social Aide for the Obama administration for which she helped host more than 500 military-related events. Together these experiences provided a strong foundation to take over as head of Veteran’s Village.
Ms. Mitchell has personal experience with how a little assistance can chance the course of a life. She was found as an infant clinging to her dead mother and was eventually taken to the Sacred Heart Orphanage in Da Nang, Vietnam. There she was found by Air Force Technical Sergeant James Mitchell, who adopted her and brought her to live with his family in northern Wisconsin. Sadly, her father, a farmer, was killed in a lightning strike just weeks before she was to leave for the Naval Academy. This experience taught her to cope with change and be aware that life can change in an instant.
Ms. Mitchell’s immediate goals for Veteran’s Village are to increase public awareness of the services provided by the Village, increase community involvement through various events, including Stand Downs (which Rotary Club of Del Mar members have supported), and support partnerships with local businesses, which are instrumental to ensuring stable employment for veterans. The Village’s various programs enjoy an 80% success rate. In keeping with the Village’s motto: “Leave no one behind”, for those who do not succeed on their first attempt, the Village welcomes and encourages them to keep trying until they do achieve success.
At the end of her presentation, Ms. Mitchell referenced the national Vietnam Commemoration, which was authorized by Congress in 2012 to thank and honor Vietnam veterans. She asked club members to raise their hands if they were on active duty any time between November 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975. Those members who raised their hands received lapel pins to recognize their service and sacrifice during this period.