Changemaker of the Week - Verenice Castillo

ZeroMils Changemaker of the Week is the Founder and CEO of Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN), Verenice Castillo .?

After immigrating to America from Mexico at the age of 16, Verenice was alone and isolated — experiencing a new country, a new language, and separation from her extended family for the first time in her life.?

Several years later, she would experience some of the same challenges with disconnectedness and cultural assimilation, when she married a United States Airmen and became a military spouse.?

Verenice faced what she considered, “shockingly similar transition struggles,” when she discovered what? it means to raise a family in the military on her own.

Frustrated by the shortage of guidance and support, as well as the lack of peer-to-peer mentorship and accessible resources, Verenice decided to do something about it — not just for herself but for thousands of other military spouses who struggle to navigate the military lifestyle and often feel isolated, unwelcome and unsupported.

Once Verenice? had the opportunity to volunteer and help others in her community, she realized her journey was not unique. In serving others, she found her true calling. And she’s been on a mission ever since, ensuring military spouses like her don’t? have to face the challenges of the lifestyle alone.?

For 8 years now, MSAN’s mission to educate, empower, and support military spouses is being realized and recognized by military installations and commands worldwide.?

In collaboration with the Department of Defense, MSAN’s programs are providing both new and seasoned military spouses, post 9-11 veteran and retiree spouses, caregivers, and Gold Star surviving spouses with one-of-a-kind 24/7 peer-to-peer mentorship, access to resources aboard military installations and within local communities where military spouses live,work and serve.

With a diverse group of 150 active volunteers, MSAN provides a full circle of support to more than 417,000 military and veteran spouses, expanding their sense of community, knowledge of resources, and opportunities to thrive and support one another.

The most extraordinary thing about Verenice is the fact that she has grown this network to almost half a million military and veteran spouses on a shoe-string budget — with the help of a Board made up entirely of military spouses and a rapidly growing community of talented volunteers.?

When I met with Verenice last week in San Antonio, I realized this passionate, powerhouse of a military spouse is just hitting her stride. Like Harvard University which partners with MSAN and supports their Military Spouse Leadership Development Program, ZeroMils is committed to volunteering our time, our talents, and our relationships with the giving community to help Verenice and MSAN grow, expand, and realize its full potential.??

If I had to make a prediction it would be this:? Military Spouse Advocacy Network will grow from a David in a Goliath space to be a key player in support of military and veteran spouses, helping DoD and the VA provide upstream solutions to the challenges so many young military families face.?

To put this in perspective, last year MSAN had just over 200 applicants for its Leadership Development Program. This year they had 900. The truth is: MSAN is filling a critical need for junior military spouses who oftentimes don’t have the benefits of a supportive network and the resources MSAN clearly provides.?

When doors are opened for leaders like Verenice, when she is given opportunities to tell her story; and when? people learn about MSAN’s model and how it is making a massive impact with little to no funding — exponential growth is inevitable.?

ZeroMils is proud to be a part of it.? Welcome to our ecosystem of #changemakers, Verenice. The future is bright.?