Region 9 Veterans Community Action Team 501(c)(3) is a charitable corporation in the State of Michigan, created in 2017, a few years after the founding of VCAT9, to support fundraising and veteran support activities in the VCAT9 area. The 501(c)(3) has a “100% pass through” policy, where all board members are volunteers and do not take a penny of compensation, and all administrative costs are paid by the founder, Dr. Eric Fretz. Thus 100% of every dollar ever collected by this charity has gone directly to helping veterans. It has a board separate from the leadership team of VCAT.
Current board members (Directors) are:
Dr. Eric Fretz (President and Registered Agent)
Jessica VanCleave (Secretary)
Gary Easterling
William Kerkstra (Treasurer)
The board meets on an ad hoc basis to consider requests from the VCAT9 Leadership Team for financial support, and conducts fundraising and grant activities as needed/available.
Examples of VCAT9 investments in local veterans include support for numerous county events, support grants for graduates of county veteran treatment courts, and occasional tough projects such as a VA request to help a Detroit area homeless veteran who was stuck on a remote island in the Philippines. With help from Fallen Wounded Soldiers Fund, VCAT9 was able to plan and effect his travel back to Detroit where the VA gratefully took over. Making the most of limited funds while solving the complex and “out of bounds” problems that other resources might have trouble with is where VCAT9 shines.
