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possible in California, and specifically in the Bay area. It took about three to four months of phone tag until we finally had a sit-down conversation, and when we did, Peter invited me to go to Texas to help run an event there. After that we were up and running in California. We successfully ran three events in 2018 and have more planned for 2019.
Once the first event got started we were very much welcomed. There were no stupid questions. We could talk to the other drivers. Everyone was appreciative about what we, as an organization, had done in the past so there was an open door. Some of the drivers even volunteered to give us a ride in their cars and talked about their cars with the Veteran participants. I grew up drag racing...not legally...and in that community people don’t want to talk about their cars, they just wanted to race. Here, everybody was welcoming, they were giving out driving tips freely and they were offering suggestions.
It was a very different environment. Zach definitely made the event great. He was constantly taking care of us, making sure we were okay, making sure we were having fun and making sure we stayed hydrated.
My wife also noticed quite a bit of a change in me, realizing that I figured out a way to meld my two worlds. I love cars, I love racing and I love driving but at the same time I am a Social Worker and work at the VA...so I also love helping Veterans. With my involvement in VetMotorsports, I get to do both. She also noticed that I was more outgoing and that I try to talk to people more than I used to. We utilized the connections I already had within the Veteran Service offices at the VA and some of the people who participated with me the first time. I let them know that we were doing another event and we’re looking for any Veterans that would be interested in participating. So very quickly, I’d say in less than two weeks, I had all four slots filled. Thus far we also try to give a
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