Paul Chapa and FISH strive to assist veterans in need after years of serving the nation

Photo Courtesy of FISH

When it comes to veterans, there’s not much Paul Chapa won’t do to lend a helping hand. Chapa started what has become Friends in Service of Heroes (FISH) more than 15 years ago with support from friends in the food industry. 

Chapa himself is not a veteran, but he feels very strongly about supporting veterans, from the World War II era to the present.

A significant part of what FISH does is provide vets with assistive devices and service animals. The idea is to do things that improve people’s day-to-day lives.

“We kind of step in the gap, and these veterans that we serve never see us coming,” Chapa says.

In early May, the group presented its 45th service dog to a veteran at a Royals game, naming it Fitzy after former Royals pitcher Al Fitzmorris.

“We’ve had situations where a veteran and their wife sleep in separate bedrooms because of the thrashing, the violence at night, the injuries. And we’ve seen marriages brought back together” after the veteran gets a service dog, Chapa says.

Seeing the independence service dogs can give to vets makes Chapa feel good, even if it means they end up leaving Kansas City to pursue their dreams. 

“I love when they do that. I want them to swim on their own,” he says.

Photo Courtesy of FISH

Still, most individuals who have received help from FISH have remained in the Midwest. Chapa considers his service area to be wider than just the metro, stretching east to west from Fort Leonard Wood near Rolla to Fort Riley near Junction City, and north to St. Joseph.

He heavily encourages all veterans to sign up with the Veterans Affairs system, though he acknowledges the system doesn’t always provide everything they need.

Beyond mobility aids and service dogs, FISH also works with other groups to provide various informational talks on the third Thursday of each month. Sometimes the speakers are veterans discussing their own experiences. The talks can also be resource-based and feature things like the VA suicide prevention program.

Although some of their work is focused on the individual veterans, FISH also tries to support the families.

FISH once provided a mobility chair to a woman who wasn’t a veteran. Her father, a Vietnam veteran, is her caretaker, and having that device for her improved his quality of life as a caretaker, Chapa says.

“We always want to make sure that the family is connected in everything FISH does. If there are kids, we want the kids involved. If it’s just a guy and his wife, we want the wife involved. We don’t want them doing it alone,” Chapa says.

At the end of June, they held a family camping weekend in northwest Missouri. During the holidays, commanders in Kansas and Missouri let FISH know which of their active duty service members may not have any money to buy presents for their kids. FISH steps in with some cash so these parents can shop for their kids.

Photo Courtesy of FISH

Chapa recalls helping one veteran who had five children and needed assistance to pay her utility bills and rent after she left an abusive husband, and he took all their savings.

For such assistance, he just requires a copy of a discharge form known as a DD214 to prove identity and an honorable discharge. However, he’s found that a lot of veterans are uncomfortable asking for help.

“We’re trying to give them their space when they need the space but let them know that we’re here for them when they need us,” Chapa says.

In terms of volunteers, he says he could use people to help with the website, their newsletter, and any events.

One fundraiser they put on is a golf tournament where participants, who are not necessarily veterans, wear body armor while playing a few of the holes. Chapa says it helps people put themselves into a veteran’s shoes.

“You watch them on TV [and say], ‘Why aren’t they sprinting? If someone was shooting at me, I’d be running as fast as I could. They look like they’re jogging.’ Well, they’re wearing 60 to 100 pounds of gear. They’re going as fast as they can,” he says. 

For more information about Friends in Service of Heroes, visit friendsinserviceofheroes.org.

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