Mazda and Chase Partner With Operation Homefront to Host Military Appreciation Day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that builds strong, stable and secure military families, recently partnered with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) to host Military Appreciation Day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and surprise two military families with a brand new Mazda vehicle and one with a mortgage-free home donated by Chase, for their selfless service to their county.

Navy Petty Officer 1^st Class Don DeGuzman and Marine Sergeant Ricardo Mendez were elated to learn they weren’t just at Mazda Raceway for an exciting weekend of racing, they were there to be honored in a very special way for their courageous service to our country. They were awarded brand new Mazda cars. Army Staff Sergeant Toure Williams was awarded a mortgage-free home in Jackson, New Jersey, through Operation Homefront’s Homes on the Homefront program.

The Homes on the Homefront program began in 2012. Since inception, Operation Homefront has placed nearly 600 veterans and their families in mortgage-free homes providing more than $56 million in deeded value to military families. Toure and his family will participate in one-on-one homeowner counseling services for one to three years. The family will also participate in a customized transition plan, including financial counseling and savings planning.

“It’s our biggest dream to get a home of my own,” said Toure. “This is a new beginning, something that we as a family can work on together, make our own home that we have dreamed of. Thank you very much, Operation Homefront, Chase, and Mazda - I appreciate everything you have done for me and my family.”

JPMorgan Chase has supported our veterans since before World War I. The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (MVA) works closely with the company’s business and consumer-facing facets and with non-profit and government partners to ensure that service members and veterans and their families have access to resources including products and services, employment opportunities, small business and strategic initiatives, and talent acquisition and development.

Since MVA started in 2011, JPMorgan Chase has hired more than 12,000 veterans and facilitated more than 400,000 veteran hires through the Veteran Jobs Mission coalition; awarded more than 900 mortgage-free homes to military families in need, 120 of which have been in California; helped 7,700 veterans and military spouses complete 10,500 career certifications through Veterans Career Transition Program at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which was co-founded and is supported by JPMorgan Chase and Syracuse University.

Learn more at: www.jpmorganchase.com/veterans