Supervisor Gonzales Spends Day at Veterans Appreciation Day Celebration Event in Colton

Last Saturday San Bernardino County Supervisor visited the Veterans Appreciation Day Celebration event in Colton. Joseph Mena coordinated the event and leads the Bikes 4 Vets Project for the Inland Empire in support of our local veterans. An army veteran, Mena and his wife Aida founded Homeless Veterans First Inc. to assist military veterans in need of transportation by providing them with a donated bicycle, a large majority of which have been donated by local police departments after they have been listed as unclaimed property, according to the organization's official website. "This project is geared toward empowering our Military Veterans to become independent. The goal is to ensure that our veterans have reliable transportation to keep medical appointments and travel to work. Bicycles also serve as a form of physical exercise. To qualify to receive a bicycle, each veteran must demonstrate a need for transportation." The bikes assist veterans in attending medical appointments and helps decrease their reliance on public transportation, where they might miss a bus ride or hit walk blocks to get to a bus stop, according to the website. Currently, the Southern California Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside communities are the focal point for this project.