Donate a Mile to Send a Veteran and His Family Home

Hope For The Warriors® is proud to grant Lance Cpl. Hector Sanchez, USMC (Ret.), and his family of four, a trip to his native Puerto Rico this summer. Sanchez was born in Puerto Rico but adopted as an infant and raised in the United States. Granted as part of the A Warrior's Wish® Program, the Sanchez family hopes that this trip will be an integral part of his therapeutic recovery by connecting him with his culture and history.

Now we ask for your help granting this Wish to the Sanchez Family. It is approximately a 1,500 mile plane ride from the Carolinas to Puerto Rico.  We hope to raise $5 for every mile. Your donation will send Hector and his young family home again.

Hector served eight years in the Marine Corps, including a total of 19 months deployed to Iraq. During his two deployments, he endured the impact of five IEDs and witnessed severe combat conditions. When he returned home, it was clear to his wife Aida that he was suffering from PTSD. Aida saw significant psychological recovery in Hector after various types of counseling, but felt another fulfilling step was needed. Aida then turned to Hope For The Warriors® and applied to the A Warrior's Wish® Program on Hector's behalf.

These important steps have allowed Hector to give back to his community and reconnect with his family. His daughter and son were very young during his deployments and are now able to get to know him. Hector also volunteers with the Department of Juvenile Justice, Big Brother, Big Sister, and the Food Bank.

Hector is an avid photographer and uses this art form to understand and appreciate his identity and passions. Returning to his origin of his birth will serve as a "cultural expedition" and give him the unique opportunity to document his time in Puerto Rico both personally and through the camera lens.

You can help grant this Wish. Again, we need to raise $5 for every mile of the 1,500 to send the Sanchez family home. Donate to support 1 mile or 100 miles--every donation counts!

Hope For The Warriors® has granted this Wish to restore self, family, and hope to Hector, Aida, and their children.  The Wish includes plane fare, hotel stay, and basic necessities during the week-long visit.  This is not a lavish vacation.  But it is one that will strengthen the bonds within the family that were strained during deployments and Hector's recovery.  We are proud to grant this Wish and hope that there are others that want to help.

You can learn even more about Hector, Aida, and their two children through a blog story posted in April, Month of the Military Child.

To support the Sanchez Family's Wish, please donate a mile today!