Help me build a veteran center for our heroes: the VetCave

"Support my friend Corporal Josef and his vision - a VetCave. A multi-purpose center for veterans who have served our countries and now need a place to be, a place to work and start the new stage of their lives.

Josef is a badass who served in the Czech Army and fought alongside American and allied troops in Afghanistan, until he got shot in the leg by the Taliban. Now he can't serve in the army anymore but he has not given up! He's pressing on with a new vision. He became a leatherworker who can make amazing stuff and he wants to set up a shop not only for him but for others who have served and now can't, but they still want to do stuff and make it.

Read Josef's story below and donate to my support campaign to make the VetCave a reality!"

Michaela Fialova

...

“Yeah, tomorrow, I am going biking, I'm hoping for 70 miles.” Josef mentioned casually when we met up to shoot a video with him. Well that was embarrassing. I don't think I could bike a fraction of that distance and I'm not the one who got shot in the leg by the Taliban. Josef's road to recovery with the help of the REGI Base endowment fund is a heroic tale but there's a problem. Despite his ability to bike (freakishly) long distances, he's struggling with not being quite as useful a member of society as he would like to be. He cannot serve in the army anymore.

So he took a course and learned to work with leather. And now he is able to create fine leather goods that will take your breath away.

Pretty soon after he started looking for some space to set a workshop, he realized he was not alone. There are many other veterans who need a place to work, to realize their potential and be productive. Some of them simply lack some place to be... Just... Be. There are those who struggle with isolation and need a place to hang out with a fellow man. And he decided that his small leather workshop could - and should - actually be a bit bigger. A place where he and his brothers in arms could work, meet up, improve their skills, rehabilitate, create value and best of all: make a living.

A man cave.

And so here we are. Become a part of that vision.

Be a part of the VetCave.

The Vision

Josef's initial plan to set up a workshop where he can start up his business has broadened since working with REGI Base and getting to know others who may benefit from a VetCave. The goal is to purchase a property big enough to set up a multi-purpose center for veterans which would include leather and wood workshops, a gym not only for working out but also for rehabilitation, office space where one can work in peace, and a place where workshops and trainings can take place for everyone to share, learn and improve their skills.

REGI Base

Josef's campaign is launched under the auspices of the REGI Base foundation.

REGI Base is a Czech-based Endowment Fund created to help those who have served for us in the army focusing on providing them with the necessary medical treatment. Established in 2011, it's the only foundation of its kind in the Czech Republic. Today, they are helping modern war veterans but also soldiers, policemen, firefighters, paramedics and other civil servants. The scope of the foundation's activities has broadened as well: apart from medical treatment and rehabilitation services, REGI Base organizes social events, contests, charity races and public seminars to raise solidarity and awareness of the needs of those who have served for us, be it in day-to-day lives or on the front lines.