Nation's Finest President and CEO
Welcome to 2023!
I hope you and your loved ones had a memorable holiday season and an excellent kickoff to the new year.
At Nation’s Finest, our team has already hit the ground running.
Looking Back at 2022
In 2022, we celebrated 50 years of service to America’s military Veterans and their families — a significant milestone that we owe to our incredible staff (both new and former) and supporters who have given their time, money, resources, and expertise.
Last year motivated us to reflect deeper than ever before on our decades-long history, dating all the way back to the Vietnam War when returning service members weren’t getting the support they needed.
We also hosted seven 5Ks across our service areas in California, Arizona, and Nevada in honor of our 50th anniversary. From color runs to a zombie apocalypse, these themed races enabled us to connect with our communities over a day of fun and to continue spreading the word about what we do at Nation’s Finest.
Two of our locations — Sacramento and Flagstaff — were presented with official City proclamations recognizing Nation’s Finest and our 50th anniversary.
In the fall, we launched the “Nation’s Finest 50” Award — a special initiative designed to recognize 50 individuals who, either through their personal actions or leadership, have gone above and beyond to support our Veterans and their families. We are currently accepting nominations for this award through the spring of 2023. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read more about “Nation’s Finest 50” and nominate someone today who deserves to be celebrated!
Empowering Veterans and Their Families
But above all last year, we continued to serve Veterans and their families at the highest quality possible — and we will continue to do so in 2023.
Because, simply by their service, our Veterans have earned our support.
No one who served our country should have to go without a roof over their head, or a hot meal when they are hungry. They shouldn’t be left to battle substance abuse, PTSD, anxiety, or depression alone — or to manage chronic physical health conditions without adequate resources. Whether they need help finding meaningful employment or assistance with navigating their benefits, our Veterans deserve to be looked after. They deserve the finest care.
The relationships we build with Veterans begins at the first point of contact, often through their case manager. However, our support extends far beyond that and through the lifetime of the Veteran as needed. We are here every day working to help them reach their full potential.
2023 holds so much in store for Nation’s Finest. We have plans to grow our trans-regional fleet of Mobile Support Units, develop more wrap-around programming to support the needs of our Veterans, support more affordable housing initiatives, diversify our funding streams, look at expanding to other communities in need, and much more.
As we embark on the year ahead, we invite you to follow Nation’s Finest for updates and to get involved in ways that are meaningful to you. The easiest way to make an immediate impact is to Donate to Support Our Work, but you can find other opportunities on our website and social media channels.
Don’t forget to nominate someone for the “Nation’s Finest 50” Award!
I look forward to 2023 and all the opportunities that lie in store for Nation’s Finest and the Veterans we serve.
Chris Johnson,
President and CEO
