About
Built by service.
Bound by purpose.
Founded in 2025 by two Chicagoans who left active duty and couldn’t find the community they had in uniform. Now on a mission to build it.
Mission
Strengthen the lives of those who serve by creating places where purpose, belonging, and community endure.
Built by service. Bound by purpose.
Service doesn’t end. It evolves.
Origin
How the Foundation started.
Damian Garcia and Rogelio Villa met in 2024 as student veterans at UIC. Damian - U.S. Army. Rogelio - U.S. Marine Corps. Different branches. Same instinct - keep serving.
So they spent a year doing exactly that. Showing up at nonprofits across Chicago. Packing boxes. Running drives. Backing community events. Working alongside people already doing the work in every neighborhood.
And they saw the same gap everywhere they went. The city is full of great programs. What’s missing is a single permanent place for the people who served and the families beside them - a home that stays open, welcomes everyone in the family, and connects them into the city instead of walling them off from it.
Veterans don’t need another isolated room. They need a city that pulls them, their spouses, their kids, and their parents into everything happening in it.
A permanent place. For the whole family. In the middle of the community, not off to the side.
Our Founding Values
SERVE
This is how we show up.
Our mission tells you why we exist. Our four pillars show where the mission comes to life. S.E.R.V.E. defines how we carry it forward - ourselves, our leaders, our Chapters, our volunteers, and the community we’re building together.
- S
Community & ServiceOperation Serve
Show up.
Service begins with being there.
For yourself. For the person beside you. For your family. For your neighborhood. For the community.
Don’t wait for someone else to step forward. Don’t wait until somebody is struggling to make the call. When there is work worth doing, show up.
Community isn’t something we simply join. It’s something we choose to be present for.
Be there. Take action. Serve beyond yourself.
- E
Recreation & AdventureOperation Adventure
Explore together.
Some of the strongest connections are built by doing something together.
Get outside. Move. Try something new. Take the trip. Accept the challenge. Invite someone along.
Adventure gives people room to reconnect with themselves and with one another. At EDC, recreation isn’t just something to do. It’s one of the ways we build camaraderie, wellness, and belonging.
Move. Experience. Belong.
- R
Growth & OpportunityOperation Next Mission
Reach forward.
There is always something ahead worth reaching for.
The next degree. The next career. The next business. The next leadership opportunity. The next challenge. The next version of yourself.
Service may shape where you’ve been. It doesn’t determine the limit of where you can go.
Keep learning. Take the opportunity. Open the door. Build what doesn’t exist. Help someone else move forward with you.
Grow. Lead. Build what comes next.
- V
Family & BelongingOperation Anchor
Value the family.
Service has never affected only the person wearing the uniform.
Spouses serve alongside it. Children grow around it. Families carry deployments, moves, transitions, uncertainty, sacrifice, celebration, and everything between.
At EDC, military families aren’t an accessory to the mission. They are part of it. And that same principle extends to the community we build around one another - people should know they have a place here.
Include. Support. Belong together.
- E
One FoundationAcross every pillar
Elevate the community.
Success means more when it strengthens more than one person.
Serve the neighborhood. Hire the veteran. Mentor the student. Support the military spouse. Make the introduction. Share the opportunity. Strengthen the Chapter. Collaborate with the organization doing good work. Bring people with you.
EDC should leave people, organizations, and communities stronger than we found them. When one of us moves forward, the community should move forward too.
Leave it stronger.
Leadership
The team behind the Foundation.
Every person here was picked with the same vision and mission in mind. We're growing slowly on purpose. Intentional over fast. Right fit over roster size.
Executive Leadership
Founder & CEO
President, Board of Directors
U.S. Army Veteran
Illinois Army National Guard
Vice President
Interim Secretary, Board of Directors
U.S. Navy Veteran
Veteran Spouse
Board of Directors
Co-Founder & Director
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Partnerships & Development Lead
U.S. Army Veteran
West Virginia Army National Guard
Interested in joining the team? See open seats.
Where we’re going
A permanent home. A national network.
The Esprit de Corps Campus in Chicago first. Then a network of Campuses in the cities that call for one next. Pick your entry point below.