Senate Leader Atkins Names Zero8Hundred as Senate District 39’s 2022 Nonprofit of the Year
SAN DIEGO – Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) is recognizing Zero8Hundred, an organization whose mission is to ease the transition from military into civilian life, as the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year for the 39th Senate District.
The San Diego region is home to one of the largest concentrations of military in the nation, with over 111,000 active duty service members and 245,000 veterans. More than 16,000 service members transition out of active duty each year, and over a third of them stay in the San Diego area.
Zero8Hundred supports those servicemembers, recent veterans, and their families as they overcome the challenges they face before, during, and after their transition. Services are provided by Zero8Hundred’s navigation team members, who connect servicemembers with a range of resources to assist them in joining the Southern California civilian workforce and community.
“I come from a military family. My dad served in the Navy in World War II and was stationed in San Diego, and all three of my siblings also served in the military,” said Senate Leader Atkins. “I understand the critical importance of initiatives such as Zero8Hundred. It’s not enough to just say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ We need to provide our transitioning servicemembers with the support that they need and deserve to be successful in civilian life.”
Zero8Hundred derives its name from the military ritual of raising the American flag at 0800 hours (8:00 a.m.) to signal that a new day of work has begun.
Transitioning service members are matched to a clinically-trained resource specialist who provides personalized counseling and support. This can include career guidance, access to employment opportunities, continuing education, mental health support, financial and legal advice, health and wellness resources, emergency food and shelter, and programs to connect them with other veteran families and community activities. Since its founding in 2015, Zero8Hundred has assisted over 5,000 transitioning servicemembers and their families.
“On behalf of the Zero8Hundred community, including our staff, volunteers, board of directors, and especially our military families, we are deeply grateful to be recognized by Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins as the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year, in association with the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits),” said Zero8Hundred Board Chair Trevor Blair.
“With this honor, Zero8Hundred recognizes the challenges our military servicemembers and their families face after concluding their service to our nation. We stand alongside our military as they transition to civilian life by providing direct, impactful wraparound services through a Master of Social Work platform, enabling our military and their families to thrive after completing their service,” said Ashley Camac, CEO of Zero8Hundred. “Zero8Hundred is honored by this prestigious award. We recognize Senate President pro Tempore Atkins for her efforts in supporting our entire military community as she thanks them for their service daily, through her advocacy and awareness of the true sacrifices made by those who wore the cloth of our nation!”
“Nonprofits do so much to support communities and to lead change. We are grateful that 109 of 120 California legislators are participating this year in California Nonprofits of the Year by choosing nonprofits to honor in their districts,” said Jan Masaoka, CEO of CalNonprofits. “Nonprofits are hidden in plain sight. We are churches, food banks, theatres, Wikipedia, child care centers, immigration centers, health clinics, climate activists, universities and dance troupes. Nonprofits are where Californians invest their time, their money, their hopes, and their hearts.”
For more information on Zero8Hundred visit their website at: https://www.zero8hundred.org
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Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins: www.senate.ca.gov/Atkins