Arizona Veterans Resource Center

05/07/2026

🎙️ On the latest episode of The Spotlight, I had the honor of sitting down with Kiamesha Guy and Ariana Gooding from Quiet Waters Global Maternal Wellness — a veteran-led nonprofit doing incredible work supporting women, mothers, military families, and underserved communities.

We talked about:
✅ The power of collaboration over competition
✅ Building support systems BEFORE families reach crisis
✅ Resources for service members, veterans, spouses, and caregivers navigating life's transitions

And we highlighted something very exciting coming up THIS SATURDAY — their 4th Annual Veterans Charity Mom's Night Out Rooftop Gala! 🌟

It's a dry, safe, 18+ community event honoring women, mothers, veterans, and families — all while raising funds for their Military and Family Readiness Program.

A huge shoutout to Kiamesha and Ariana for the work they're doing and for showing up for this community every single day. This conversation is a powerful reminder that healing happens through connection, prevention, and showing up for one another.

🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/9jZaiv9itXE?si=5eFWUhAXzqh-V-BL
🎟️ Get your gala tickets before Saturday!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-veterans-charity-moms-night-out-rooftop-gala-tickets-1984110268223?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of The Spotlight, Nicole Pogue welcomes Kiamesha Guy and Ariana Gooding from Quiet Waters Global Maternal Wellness, a veteran-led nonprofit s...

01/28/2026

This episode stayed with us.

On this week’s Spotlight podcast, Gary Schnell shares his personal story of service—and how he later developed cancer as a result of that service. He speaks openly about what that experience took from him… and what it ultimately gave him: purpose, clarity, and a deeper commitment to serving other veterans.

Alongside Army Veteran, Veronica Morgan from the The Home of Record Project , we talk about:
➡️ Veteran homelessness and transitional housing
➡️ The gaps veterans fall through before crisis hits
➡️ The barriers organizations face outside the VA
➡️ Why real solutions are built by people who’ve lived it

This isn’t a pity story.
It’s a story of resilience, leadership, and community.

This is not a pity story.Veteran homelessness is declining—but the barriers veterans face before they ever lose housing are still very real.In this episode o...

01/24/2026

Supporting our community partner Quiet Waters for their 4th Annual Military and Family Health Networking Event. If you’re in the area, stop by and listen to the concerns and solutions pertaining to our veteran and active duty support community.

01/16/2026

We talk a lot about “mental health.”
But sometimes what we’re calling mental health is layered trauma + physiology… and it gets missed.
On today’s episode of The Spotlight, I sat down with Dr. Maria Cronyn, NMD DABHM—veteran, naturopathic physician, adoptee, and founder of Adoption Evolution—for a conversation that hit hard and needed to be said.
We unpacked:
The “phantom thread” of adoption-related trauma and why it’s so often misunderstood
How layered trauma shows up in veterans’ lives (and why validation is the first medicine)
The women’s health “cliff” — perimenopause, brain fog, and why “late-life ADHD” can sometimes be hormonal
A root-cause lens: when symptoms are signals, not character flaws
If you’re a provider, veteran leader, or a woman who’s felt like your brain changed overnight… this episode is for you.
🎥 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/r9wYZjE7nVo?si=YS2sBaiiDz5mCima
We’re building something special at the AZ Veterans Resource Center—a trauma-informed, compassionate, holistic hub where veterans don’t have to figure it out alone.
We need us. Let’s go. SUBSCRIBE to hashtag
Thank you veterans Jack Blair and Andrew Baker for another solid show!

📍 Filmed LIVE at AZ Veterans Resource Center (Phase 1 — OPEN)Address: 1833 W Main St, Suite 103, Mesa, AZ 85201Hours: 0800–1600 (Mon–Fri) | Phone: 480-834-2...

12/09/2025

CALLING OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY TO HELP + REFLECTION GARDEN UPDATE

We are officially in our final week at our current Mesa Veterans Resource Center as we prepare to move into our new home — and we’re reaching out to our veteran community, partners, and supporters for help.

We need volunteers this week to assist with packing, staging, and preparing for our move on Friday, Dec. 12th. Most of which is accomplished.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all volunteers on moving day.
Every set of hands truly makes a difference as we transition into the next chapter of Azura Veterans Coalition.

📍 New Location:
1833 w Main St, Ste. 103/104
Mesa, AZ 85201

⏰ Friday Move Window: 0800–TBD
🚪 Drop-in support anytime between now and Friday is welcome.

If you’d like to help, please contact us at [email protected]
or (480) 834-2105.

A Special Note on the Reflection Garden

To our beloved veteran family — especially those who helped build and sustain the Reflection Garden — we want to share an important update with full transparency and reverence:

As we move into our new building, we are unable to relocate the physical garden structure due to property limitations. This includes the memorial bricks and most of the benches that were lovingly created to honor our fallen, our brothers and sisters, and the history of this center.

Here is how we are ensuring that its legacy continues forward with us:

✨ We are photographing each brick and creating a permanent plaque installation inside our new Center so that every name, every dedication, and every act of service remains honored and visible.
✨ We will be taking two benches with us for continued reflection and remembrance.
✨ The remaining bricks and benches deserve a meaningful new home — a place where they can continue to stand in honor of those they represent.

We are asking our community — especially our veteran leaders, service organizations, churches, memorial sites, and partners — to help us identify a location or collaborative idea where these historic pieces can be placed with dignity and preserved for future generations.

This garden is not just a part of MVRC’s history — it is a part of our collective veteran story. It was built by many hands and hearts, and we want to steward it with the same honor with which it was created.

If you have ideas, connections, or interest in helping us find a home for the remaining garden pieces, we would be grateful for your guidance and support.

As we rebrand and rise into this next chapter, we do so with deep respect for everyone who built this place before us. Stronger together — one team, one fight, always.

11/22/2025

Amazing news!! We will be sure to keep you posted as this project develops.

The Veterans Community Project (VCP) is known for building tiny transitional homes for veterans experiencing homelessness, and now this group is bringing its first-ever village to Glendale near 59th and Grand avenues.

See the full story from Kaley O'Kelley in the link in the comments. ⬇

11/20/2025

This is what collaboration and alliance building looks like.

A mother of two teenagers — a Veteran working two jobs to keep her family afloat — finally has a safe, stable home after months of instability. And it took an entire coalition of women, organizations, and community partners standing together.

As CEO of the Azura Veterans Coalition (Nicole Pogue), I supported her through every barrier: a full month of lodging, food, basic needs, help with transportation, getting her vehicle out of impound, covering an extra car payment, and rallying every partner I could from every event and meeting.

Here’s who helped make this happen:

🏠 Dr. Applewhite & White Apple Institute — found and secured the housing
📦 Moving Team Six— handled the move
🪑 Home of Record Project — furnished the home
🎖️ Veronica Morgan (Army Veteran) — coordinated Team 6 + furnishings
😴 Kiamesha Guy— bedding
✨ Agnes Chau — donated hotel points
🛞 Kim Pritchard (East Valley Women Veterans) — provided brand-new tires
🛏️ Leona Holtz (Homeless Matter) — secured a queen bed
🤝 Veterans First, Ltd. — provided a night’s stay + multiple gift cards
💙 Jessica Roza & Amanda Tallman — additional resources
🏛️ Azura Veterans Coalition — lodging, stabilization, transportation support & alliance coordination

But the transformation didn’t end with housing.

She joined the East Valley Women Veterans group, attended our monthly brunch, joined our First Monday Gardening Outing in the Defender’s Den, and bravely shared her truth LIVE on The Spotlight podcast.

She is fierce. She is brave. She is resilient.
She endured what she had to — and now she wants to join the team.

To every woman veteran who rose to help their sister — thank you.
This is what happens when we step out of the silos and into the action of connection.
We are better together. We rise together. Let’s start the conversation.

If I missed anyone who played a role in this mission, please know it was never intentional. This was a major, fast-moving undertaking — and every single person helped this beautiful story unfold so other Veterans can see that we truly have their six. 🇺🇸❤️

Our Mission: Reconnect. Rebuild. Rise.

10/29/2025

This is designed for Furloughed, but many of these resources could help all veterans.

Furloughed & Figuring It Out?
Want to know more?

💵 Banks & Credit Unions Helping Out
🏦 Verizon Wireless – Will split your bill or move your due date forward 30 days if you call.
🏦 Bank of America – Call the priority assistance line at 844-219-0690.
🏦 Chase – Special line for feds: 1-888-356-0023.
🏦 Congressional FCU – Relief Line of Credit: 800-491-2328.
🏦 FedChoice – Several options for existing and new members.
🏦 Interior FCU – Special loan (up to 2 net paychecks, interest-free 30 days): 800-914-8619.
🏦 Navy Federal – Furlough Loan Program: 1-888-842-6328.
🏦 PayPal – $25M in interest-free cash advances ($250-$500). Call 1-877-689-1975.
🏦 U.S. Bank – Waiving late fees and deferring new mortgage payments.
🏦 Wells Fargo – Multiple shutdown assistance lines on their website.

🚗 Auto Loan Help
🚙 Toyota & Lexus Financial – Payment deferrals up to 2 months.
🚗 Hyundai & Kia Finance – 30-day extensions for affected feds.
🚘 Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz – Payment deferrals and late fee waivers available.

📱 Phone Providers
📞 AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon – Flexible payment options, extensions, and late-fee help.

🏠 Rent & Mortgage
🏡 National Rental Home Council – Deferred rent, no late fees.
🏦 Union Plus – $300 grants and loan help for union members: 800-472-2005.
🏠 OPM Sample Letters – Templates for landlords & creditors on the OPM site.

🥫 Food Help
🍎 Feeding America – 200 food banks + 60,000 pantries nationwide.
🥣 Your School District – Furloughed = emergency status. Apply for free school meals.

❤️ Insurance & Misc. Help
🩷 MetLife – One-time 30-day grace period. Call 1-800-GET-MET8.
💙 Fidelity & Guaranty Life – Waiving cost of insurance for 30 days.
🏢 Rent-A-Center (Benefits Plus) – Payment waiver for up to 4 months.
🇺🇸 USAA – Deferments on loans and credit cards.

💰 Grants & Furlough Funds
💵 FEEA-NARFE Fund – $100 grants for furloughed feds (apply on FEEA site).

💵 Other Grant: $150 for those earning under $59,999 — because every bit helps.
📊 Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
✅ You can suspend loan payments while in non-pay status — no documentation needed. Call 1-877-968-3778.


Source - Many Thanks to:

Derek Duba
Army Veteran | Northern Arizona Director
U.S Senator Ruben Gallego

07/17/2025

🚨 P.A.W.S.S-itivity surrounded us as we went LIVE in the Defender’s Den for Episode 114 of The Spotlight. 🎙️🐾

We had the honor of speaking with Ryan and Janna Newman, founders of P.A.W.S.S. — a veteran-owned nonprofit changing lives by helping disabled Veterans, First Responders, and their families train their own service dogs.

Their work is more than training — it’s about healing.

In a safe, judgment-free environment, P.A.W.S.S. empowers its students to rebuild confidence, strengthen family bonds, and navigate the unseen wounds of PTSD and Secondary PTSD.

💡 This episode is a powerful reminder of the strength found in community, connection, and the love of a well-trained pup.

🎥 Watch the full episode now: https://youtu.be/4OCEXJQBh60?si=btPgFZ6wbffLsYk6

💸 Help us continue this work — donate today: azuravets.org/give

🐶 Learn more about P.A.W.S.S. or how to get involved: pupsandwarriors.org

Together, we can serve those who’ve served us.

Your support fuels missions like this — and transforms lives.

Welcome back to the Defenders Den! In episode 114 we talk to Ryan and Janna Newman from P.A.W.S.S. They are a veteran owned and operated non-profit organizat...