- February 6, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Around the time of the Daytona 500, Joe Rosa, the VFW commander for post 3282, had been making his usual rounds looking for veterans who would like to become new VFW members.
One of his stops brought him to an Army recruiter who was interested in joining the VFW. As the two men talked, the recruiter began telling Rosa about a young woman who had recently decided to enlist. At first Rosa didn't think anything of it. But then the recruiter told him she was living in her car and had been planning to do so until she shipped out for boot camp on Feb. 25.
"I was really broken up," Rosa said.
Knowing what he had to do, Rosa told the recruiter to send the woman to the VFW post. The next day, a petite woman showed up eating out of a tuna can. The woman, Jessica Fortunato, told Rosa she had been living in her car for about a year and had recently been staying behind the VFW in Daytona Beach.
Fortunato, 28, had driven down to the Port Orange area to look for work after graduating from college in Tallahassee. Due to multiple negative experiences in apartments as well as trying to pay off her student loans, Fortunato decided the best decision would be to live out of her car.
Fortunato noted that while the car gave her freedom, there were also difficulties — the windows were broken and were constantly up, which could become unbearable in the summer months. Then there was the problem of where she could park. On more than one occasion she was woken up in the middle of the night by people banging on the doors or shining flashlights through the windows.
"I've been homeless without a car and working three jobs," Fortunato said. "The car was a benefit."
After hearing Fortunato's story, Rosa quickly put together a parking pass for her to stay at the VFW parking lot until he could find a better place for her to stay. He asked the bartender to give her $20 for food then left for the evening.
On his way home, Rosa received a call — two women with the Auxiliary, Helen McKim and Penny Kates, had decided to take Fortunato home so she could shower, sleep in a bed and have someone to talk to. This would give Rosa a few days to find another place for Fortunato to stay before she went to bootcamp.
"We wanted to make sure she had whatever she needed," Rosa said.
While Rosa looked for another place Fortunato could stay, the Army recruit helped with different jobs at the VFW. For Fortunato, it was a way to help her feel more productive.
"Just being around people, I just felt more human, more purposeful, more plugged in and more constructive," Fortunato said.
Rosa spoke with Jimmie Adams, VFW senior vice commander, and the two decided to call Tom Clapsaddle, the general manager at the Port Orange Country Inn and Suites. The moment a room opened up, Clapsaddle reserved it for Fortunato. It will now be her home until she leaves.
"The military and their families, they're the ones that sacrifice for us," Clapsaddle said. "These guys were asking me to help somebody going in who wants to do that for us. It was a no brainer for me. It's just something that should be done."
And as Fortunato prepares for her military career she has a new goal to work toward: setting an example for the people she is around.
"I want to make an impact with everybody I'm working with in the military," Fortunato said. "I want to be uplifting for them, a good source of support and strength and energy. I want to inspire them to better themselves."
