TOPVETS award $65K to nine nonprofits
The Ocala Preserve Veterans organization raises funds through special events and makes donations to veterans’ support groups.
Blake Sowers, who coordinates veterans’ outreach with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in Williston, poses with Ty, a 3-year-old German shepherd, on March 7, 2026, at a breakfast held by TOPVETS of Ocala. The organization received a $12,000 donation. [Photo by Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]
Members and guests of The Ocala Preserve Veterans (TOPVETS) organization gathered at a breakfast event on March 7 to award $65,000 in donations raised by the group to nine area veterans’ support organizations.
TOPVETS, a 501(c) (3) founded in 2020, is a group of about 100 veteran members living in the Ocala Preserve community, which is on U.S. Highway 27 in northwest Ocala. The event was held at the Salted Brick Restaurant inside the community.
Donation recipients help Marion County veterans with an array of services. from assistance with rent, case management and food and clothing, to service dogs to uplifting horse therapy and motorcycle adventures.
“Since 2021 we’ve donated $151,000 to local veterans’ causes,” said TOPVETS president and U.S. Navy submarine service veteran, Jeff Dean.
Dean said TOPVETS raises funds through two annual pancake breakfasts and a Veterans’ Day golf tournament known as the “Classic,” which raised $53,000 last year “all for Marion County” veterans support.
Davis Snyder and his 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte, represented the Veterans Adventure Motorcycle Project, a 501(c)(3) that was awarded a $5,000 donation at the breakfast.
Snyder, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, discussed the impact of rider focus, group camaraderie and “peer to peer mentoring” connected with motorcycle riding. He displayed a KTM 690 Enduro motorcycle in the restaurant entrance. A Florida Adventure Ride is being planned.
The VAMP website states that “Each ride is designed as a platform for veterans to share their stories and connect with industry icons, in an environment of healing, camaraderie and personal growth.”
Blake Sowers, in veterans’ outreach, and Tiffani Puzel, canine training manager, both with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs represented the nonprofit, which has a facility in Williston. They were accompanied at the breakfast by Ty, a 2-year-old German shepherd service dog. The organization received a $12,000 donation from TOPVETS.
Sowers explained that a trained service dog can help a disabled veterans with assistance in daily living and veterans with medical issues such as alerts for diabetic patients.
Mary Jo Brandt, COO of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, wrote in a text that the cost to train a dog, provide pre-pairing support, a 10-day follow up at organization headquarters, including travel and accommodations, and after pairing support, costs about $37,000. The service dogs are provided at no charge to veterans.
Catherine Sears is Executive Director of the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association, which has been providing services in the area for three decades. She said veterans “bond” with the horses and some have said the experience “saved their life.” MTRA received a TOPVETS donation of $5,000.
Ron Oppliger, chairman of the Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park, was joined by veteran Ray Orlosky at the breakfast. The nonprofit received a $5,000 TOPVETS donation.
Veterans Helping Veterans USA of Marion County received the largest single donation, at $20,000, according to a list provided by TOPVETS. VHV provides local veterans with a pantry, food and clothing, case management, counseling for PTSD, AA/NA, assistance with the Veterans Administration and a host of other services. VHV chairman of the board and Ocala City Councilman James Hilty Sr. and Myles McConico, VHV deputy director, accepted the donation.
Todd Belknap, VHV executive director, remarked on the impact of the donation in a later text
“As the number of homeless and at-risk veterans rise in this region, our food pantry has been taxed beyond its natural operating capabilities. We have gone from distributing 2,500 pounds of food per month to 11,000 pounds per month,” Belknap stated.
“The tremendous generosity of TOPVETS (including a $10,000 donation about four months ago) and the Ocala Preserve Community will help us continue assisting heroes in our midst. We are so very grateful for their donations,” he wrote.
The Marion County Veterans Council, which coordinates programs like Stuff the Bus to provide supplies for needy children, received a $5,000 donation.
Charles Calhoun, president of the council, and his wife Frances, attended the breakfast. Charles also is a director with VHV, representing the council.
Additional TOPVETS donations included: North Marion High School Jr. ROTC, $4,000; Marion Senior Services Meals on Wheels, $4,000; and Habitat for Humanity of Marion County, $5,000 (designated for veterans).
TOPVETS is dedicated to “to building a strong, functional team of volunteers who can respond to the needs of veterans in our Ocala Preserve community, the city of Ocala, Florida and throughout Marion County, Florida,” according to its website.
To learn more, go to topvets.org
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