A North County nonprofit is celebrating the 10th anniversary of a pivotal moment in the organization's 106-year history — in 2016 it rebranded and refocused its mission to help women who are leaving the military.
The Foundation for Women Warriors does this by providing financial education and assistance to women that helps them afford childcare, go back to school or find housing.
Marine veteran Jodie Grenier is the foundation's CEO. She said she understands the challenges women face transitioning out of the military. A lot of the community support infrastructure built over the years was focused on the needs of men.
"When we look at women that served in the military, they're not getting as much as their male counterparts," Grenier said.
Women are the fastest-growing population of military veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2000, women were just over 6% of the veteran population.
Today, they're closer to 12%.
And with women now making up about 20% of the active duty military, that percentage will continue to rise.
Grenier was an intelligence analyst in the Marines who did two combat tours in Iraq. When she left the service in 2005 she said she found herself defending and justifying her status as a veteran to people.
"That was very frustrating," she said. "To come home to a society that looked at me for the sheer fact that I was a woman — like I didn't actually serve in a way that should be honored."
In 2016, the organization changed its name from "Military Women in Need." It was responding to the changing needs of the women it served, Grenier said.
Women were leaving the service not only in need of transition assistance but also with children and families to support.
"So we answered that call by expanding our childcare assistance programs," Grenier said. "We also moved our location from LA to San Diego to ensure that we were meeting women veterans before they even transitioned out of the military."
The Foundation for Women Warriors grew since 2016 and has served women in 49 states. According to the organization in that time its helped more than 11,000 veterans and provided almost $5 million in direct support.
While the overall mission is financial support, Grenier said the women they work with are often looking for more than that.
"They come to us and they're really looking for not only support and resources but that understanding of what their service was like," she said.
Grenier said their doors are open to any woman looking to connect while leaving the military — even if they're not in financial need.
"We are here for you," she said. "We have a whole team that is either military veterans themselves or military connected, and they understand — you don't have to go it alone."
The organization is hosting a 10-year anniversary event at its Vista office Thursday evening.
