The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to support and advocate for veterans of the Vietnam War, has the motto: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
U-Haul, founded by a World War II veteran and his wife, has proudly supported the VVA in its mission since 2006.
As the VVA’s longest-serving corporate partner, U-Haul puts together binders for attendees at the organization’s biannual national conventions and leadership conferences, which take place on alternating years in Greensboro, N.C.
Each year, the U-Haul Central Services team in Phoenix sources the materials, proofs and prints the inside contents, and hand-assembles each binder – numbering in the hundreds – for these gatherings.
For the VVA’s most recent national convention in late 2021, U-Haul produced more binders than ever. Volunteers from the U-Haul Midtown Campus came together to organize and assemble the 250-page binders, and ultimately completed 700 binders for convention attendees.
Appreciation and Gratitude
To thank U-Haul Team Members for this labor of love, VVA representatives recently visited U-Haul headquarters for a special appreciation breakfast, where they presented a commemorative plaque and several pins to the U-Haul Central Services team and volunteers.
“It was so sweet of the VVA representatives to come visit Team U-Haul and gift us a beautiful plaque and pins,” said Marcia Dziobak, U-Haul Digital Design production coordinator, who helps spearhead the project each year. “The representatives were very courteous and kind people. We truly enjoyed getting to know them better.
“When it comes to supporting veterans, my fellow Team Members and I are always willing to help,” Dziobak continued. “It is a cause that is near and dear to all of us. Because of that, even though doing so requires a lot of effort and planning, we’re grateful that we get to assist the VVA each year by preparing binders for them to use at their conventions and conferences.”
VVA Communications Director Mokie Porter added: “U-Haul is a special company to everyone at the VVA, both because it was started by a veteran and his wife, and because its Team Members consistently strive to understand and fulfill veterans’ needs. For example, if it weren’t for U-Haul Team Members’ selfless service, I’d be stuck at an office copier for literal weeks on end trying to prepare and assemble every conference and convention binder myself. I wouldn’t be able to do everything else that is needed to organize and hold these important, veteran-focused meetings. The fact that U-Haul Team members unselfishly go out of their way to assist organizations like us really makes a world of difference, and it fills us with gratitude. U-Haul is an amazing organization full of fantastic people, and the VVA is proud to partner with them.”
To learn more about the U-Haul commitment to supporting veterans and military members, visit uhaul.com/about/veterans.
