Jason Houston was driving home one evening when he saw a sign on the side of the road that said “Racing4Vets.”

“I’m a vet and I like going fast, so it had to be a perfect fit,” the Army veteran said.

And it was – since joining the organization a few months ago, Houston already noticed a difference.

“I didn’t realize how important it was until I actually met these people,” Houston said. “I’ve relaxed a lot more at home, my whole disposition has changed because I can let out what I’ve had bottled inside.”

The story is the same among the veterans who joined Racing4Vets. The nonprofit organization builds and races race cars in endurance competitions. Each veteran works on the car to get it race ready. It’s an undertaking that takes months of hard work, dedication and fundraising.

That’s why it was so devastating to Houston and the other veterans to hear their organization had been hit by thieves. Racing4Vets Founder John Vann came to his garage one evening and started noticing things were gone.

“We started to notice a whole bunch of other stuff missing and unfortunately the missing pile just keeping growing and growing and growing,” Vann said.

Thieves stole about $5,000 worth of tires, rims and tools. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said it’s an open investigation, but they haven’t made any arrests.

“It makes it worse when you steal from a charity,” Vann said. “These veterans come here to work on their issues from PTSD to TBI, they come here for camaraderie and they come here as an outlet.”

Nick Esposito owns Dana Heating and Air and donated the garage where the organization works on the cars. He’s been involved with the organization since the beginning, and the theft hurts him too.

“If I can’t protect them,” Esposito said, “it’s frustrating because I’m donating the space to them.”

Esposito had even donated security cameras before the theft.

“We were in the process of installing them and the criminals took that too,” he said.

The garage has security cameras now, thanks to a donor. Esposito had each entrance to the garage rekeyed and now every tool box has its own lock.

Houston may be hurt, but he’s pushing forward. And he has a message for those that stole from him and his fellow veterans.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I fought for you to have that chance to steal from me. I lost brothers and sisters so you could steal from us. I greatly appreciate it if our stuff came back.”

Racing4Vets started a GoFundMe page to raise the money lost.

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