About The Mission
The mission of Vacations For Veterans is to provide a ‘free’ week of vacation lodgings to veterans of the United States Armed Forces who recently have been wounded in action.
We are able to do this only through the generous donations of weeks from vacation homeowners, and through the generous donations of funds by others.
About Us
Christopher Carr
Founder
Christopher is a native of Washington D.C., and was born in 1964. He was educated at Blessed Sacrament, Gonzaga College High School, and received his B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans.
He attended Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island in the summer of 1982, and Marine Officer Candidate School in 1988, where he received the Leadership Award. Following training at The Basic School and the Infantry Officer Course, he led an infantry platoon in 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines during Operation Desert Storm.
Peggy Carr
Founder and CEO
Peggy was born Peggy Doyle in NYC in 1966. She was educated at St. Thomas the Apostle School, West Hempstead High School, received her BA from The University of Pennsylvania, and her JD from The University of San Diego School of Law.
After completing college, she attended Marine Officer Candidate School in the summer of 1989, completed training at The Basic School, and was assigned to the School of Infantry, Camp Pendleton as the legal officer from 1990-1993.
Marie Doyle
Director of Communications
Marie was born in NYC and went to Mother Cabrini HS. She received her nursing degree from Miseracordia Nursing School, her BA from Molloy College, her MA from Adelphi College, and is a former teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead, New York. She has been volunteering her time at VacationsForVeterans.org since 2009.
Hadley Vukasovich
Director of Fundraising
Hadley was born in Chicago, Illinois, Hadley was raised in the small resort town of Harbor Springs, Michigan and currently lives in Lorton, VA. She attended Michigan State University, studying health education and exercise science.
For the first 10 years of her career, Hadley worked as a corporate travel manager. After staying at home to raise her children, she re-entered the work force as a grant writer, planning grant manager, and fundraiser, working with the charter and public school systems. She had the opportunity to oversee the opening of a Montessori charter school, where she took it from idea phase to completion of a successful charter school that is still going strong today.
After moving to Virginia in the fall of 2011, Hadley was hired as the Director of Fundraising for Vacations For Veterans, and is happy to be able to combine her expertise in the travel field with her fundraising experience to help the charity continue to grow.
Board of Directors
Kurt Yerger
Member, Board of Directors
Born at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, Kurt Yerger was raised and currently resides in Delaware County, PA. He is a Drexel University B.S. Graduate (LeBow COB, ’92, Marketing). As a guest speaker, adjunct professor and board member of Drexel University Career Services Advisory Board, Kurt continues to maintain an active role within his alma mater.
Kurt has worked for Enterprise Holdings, Inc.for over 20 years. Kurt has held management positions in the field as an Area and Branch Rental Manager for over 10 years, and the proceeding 10 years as the Human Resources Manager in the Philadelphia area. He also maintains his PHR certification as a Human Resources professional. He has been active in supporting Vacations For Veterans since its inception, and is proud to be serving now as a board member for the charity.
William Jude McKenna
Member, Board of Directors
Born in Bethesda, MD, Jude McKenna graduated Gonzaga College High School in 1982, and then went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, A. James Clark School of Engineering in 1999. Currently, he is a Senior Project Manager at A. Morton Thomas in Rockville, MD, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in MD, VA and DC.
Jude’s father, Gerald S. McKenna, served in the Army in WW II, and his maternal grandfather, Col. William Pardoe Martin had a career in the Army/Air Force. Jude has been a supporter of Vacations For Veterans since its start in 2007, and is honored to serve as a board member.
Toby Burk
Member, Board of Directors
Toby was raised in Winchester, Virginia, and attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended the University of Richmond and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics. He later attended Ohio Northern University where he earned his Juris Doctorate.
Currently Toby is the Senior Director of State and Local Affairs at The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and is honored to help serve as a board member.
Theodore Gildred
Member, Board of Directors
Theodore Gildred served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He is currently CEO of The Lomas Sante Fe Group, a co-founding partner of BV Resorts, and has previously worked for Morgan Stanley as a member of the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund.
Ted holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Columbia University. He holds both US and Mexican Citizenship, and is fluent in Spanish.
Ted also serves on the Board of Directors at both the Institute of Americas and the San Diego Aerospace Museum. He has been a generous supporter of Vacations For Veterans, and now is proud to serve as a board member.
The Idea
The idea for Vacations For Veterans came about when Peggy was considering to which charity she should give a percentage of the proceeds generated by her business Exclusive Exchanges. She noticed that many of the vacation homes on her website had several weeks vacant, and thought that some owners might consider donating a week at their home to a wounded veteran. After bouncing the idea off of some vacation homeowners, and receiving an enthusiastic response, Chris and Peggy decided to start this nonprofit organization to help match up wounded veterans with vacation homeowners willing to donate time in their homes.
Vacations For Veterans, LLC was created in 2007 from this idea, and has received overwhelmingly positive support from those contacted.
If you are interested in helping veterans by donating time at your vacation home, please sign up here.
If you can help us accomplish our mission by donating funds, please Donate
Here.
If you wish to Volunteer Your Time, Vacations For Veterans can use your help for as many hours as you can give.
This website is dedicated in Loving Memory to Eva Milagros Carr.
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