The Mission Driven Marketplace
Our veteran-run marketplace in Aurora. Every purchase and every vendor helps fund the mission. Come shop, or join us as a vendor.
Visit the Marketplace
Veteran-led 501(c)(3) · Aurora, IL and surrounding areas
Peer support. Alternative therapies. Whole-person wellness for veterans.
VetPark connects veterans and their families to alternative therapies for mental and spiritual wellness, led by veterans who have walked the recovery path themselves.
Aurora, IL and surrounding areas
Run by veterans, for veterans
Right now
What VetPark is doing today
Two things carry the mission right now: a marketplace that funds the work, and a standing invitation for veterans to gather.
Standing Watch
Monthly camaraderie meetups open to all veterans and service members. Good company, no agenda, no pressure.
On a short break. New dates coming soon. See EventsWhere we are headed: VetPark is also building toward a Municipal Veteran Peer Support Network, a peer referral and sponsorship model, and a Learning Hub for education and advocacy. Those initiatives are in development and are not operating today. See where we are headed
About us
Veterans helping veterans heal, whole-person style
Our mission is to connect veterans and their supporters to alternative therapies for mental and spiritual wellness. We believe in the power of community and peer support to foster hope, healing, and growth, and our programs are facilitated by people who have walked the recovery path themselves.
We are a small, veteran-led team based in Aurora, IL and surrounding areas.
Today at VetPark
- The Mission Driven Marketplace, a veteran-run marketplace whose revenue funds the mission.
- Standing Watch, monthly in-person meetups bringing veterans together (currently on a short break).
- Partnerships with municipalities and veteran-serving organizations across Illinois.
We are also building toward what comes next: a municipal peer support network, a peer referral and sponsorship model, and expanded education and advocacy. Read about where we are headed
In development
Where we're headed
VetPark is building toward a larger role for veteran peer support in our region. The three directions below are in development. They are not operating today, and we share them here so veterans, municipalities, funders, and neighbors can see the direction and help us build it well.
Municipal Veteran Peer Support Network
In developmentWe are positioning VetPark as the nonprofit partner cities and counties work with to build veteran peer support systems. The vision is a network that helps municipalities stand up peer support that is local, veteran led, and connected to care and community resources.
A first pilot is aimed at our local area, here in Aurora, IL and surrounding areas. We are building the partnerships and the model now, before any pilot launches.
Exploring veteran peer support for your community? Let's talk about piloting this together.
Talk with us about a pilotPeer-to-Peer Referral and Sponsorship
Vision in developmentWe envision VetPark growing into a peer-to-peer referral and sponsorship agency, built around one-year relationships between veterans and state-certified peer specialists.
In that model, support would include weekly support and wellness check-ins, plus steady help connecting to alternative therapies and community resources over time. It is a relationship, not a one-time referral. This program is not enrolling participants today.
Ask about the visionEducation and Advocacy
Building toward thisWe are building toward a VetPark Learning Hub, a place to make practical education on peer support, whole-person wellness, and recovery easier for veterans and the people who serve them to find and use.
We advocate for policies that expand peer support and non-opioid choices in care, including legislation like the PEERS Act of 2023. Our advocacy also includes our coalition membership in Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, where we stand with others for more non-opioid choices in care and recovery.
Connect on advocacy
Services
How we serve
Every service points the same direction: connecting a veteran to the therapy, community, or support that fits their own recovery.
01
The Mission Driven Marketplace
A veteran-run marketplace in Aurora. Shop to support the mission, or sell as a vendor alongside other veteran and local sellers.
02
Standing Watch
Monthly camaraderie meetups open to all veterans and service members. Show up, grab a coffee, talk or just listen.
03
Spiritual Enrichment
Mindfulness and meditation practices that support whole-person wellness, offered in a welcoming, judgment-free setting.
04
Social Enrichment
Peer-to-peer networking, coffee socials, and special interest clubs. Connection is a therapy of its own, and we make room for it.
Shop with purpose
The Mission Driven Marketplace
Where Purpose Meets Prosperity for Veteran Entrepreneurs. A veteran-run marketplace serving Aurora, IL and surrounding areas. Every sale helps fund VetPark's mission: connecting veterans to alternative therapies for mental and spiritual wellness.
Visit us
2 W. Downer Place, Aurora, Illinois
Friday · 4:30–9:30 pm Saturday & Sunday · 11 am–5 pm Farmers market days · 10 am–5 pm
Downtown Aurora. Vendor details: Mia B. at 630-329-6642.
Sell as a vendor
Join a supportive community of veteran makers. Your booth does double duty: it grows your business and helps keep VetPark's programs running.
Help us open more
We are looking for volunteers to help us expand our open hours, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays. A few hours a week can open our doors to more veterans and neighbors.
Can't make it in?
You can still put the marketplace to work. A monthly gift keeps the doors open and the mission funded.
Stories on every tag
Veteran vendor stories are told through QR-coded product tags. Scan a tag in the store to meet the maker behind the product, learn what they create, and see the mission your purchase supports.
Pop-ups in downtown Aurora
Community pop-up events in downtown Aurora bring our vendors out into the neighborhood. Come meet veteran makers in person, shop local, and connect with the neighbors who keep this marketplace going. For upcoming pop-up dates, contact Mia B. at 630-329-6642.
A community of veteran makers
Vendors join a supportive community of veteran makers who share ideas, encourage one another, and build businesses side by side. Interested in selling with us? Talk with Mia B. at 630-329-6642 for details.
Events
Gather with us
More events are in the works. The best way to hear about them first is to get in touch and ask to be kept in the loop.
Our team
The people behind VetPark
VetPark is led by a veteran-founded team and a working board of directors, balancing this mission with day jobs, families, and their own recovery. Meet the people guiding the mission today. If you need to reach a specific team member, email [email protected] and we will connect you.
Robert Dabney Jr
Executive Director
Jasmin Dabney
Secretary, Board of Directors
Jacob Alcaraz
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Juan Canez
Board of Directors
Vail Smith
Board of Directors
Tamicha Page
VP, Peer and Recovery Services
Support the mission
What VetPark needs, plainly put
VetPark runs on community support. Monthly gifts keep the marketplace doors open, sponsors keep the lights on, and every one-time gift keeps peer support and community programs going. Here is how each dollar goes to work.
Supporters Circle
$20 /month
Join the monthly supporters who keep the Mission Driven Marketplace alive. Steady, predictable support is what lets a small nonprofit plan past next month.
Give $20/monthBusiness Sponsor
$100–150 /month
Local businesses sponsor the marketplace with signage in the space and public shout-outs to our community. Good visibility, real impact, right here in Aurora, IL and surrounding areas.
Talk sponsorshipOne-Time Gift
Any amount
One-time gifts keep the marketplace running and help veterans stay connected to community, peer support, and the care they choose.
Donate onceVetPark's Alternative Therapies for Veterans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are tax-deductible. EIN: 86-3725355.
Prefer to give another way? Email [email protected].
Get involved
More ways to stand with veterans
Money is one kind of support. Time, skill, and referrals carry the mission just as far.
Volunteer
Help at the marketplace, lend a hand at meetups, or bring a professional skill to the team. Right now we especially need marketplace volunteers on Wednesdays and Fridays so we can expand our open hours. Small hours, honestly given, move this work.
Offer your timePractitioners and partners
We are actively looking for alternative therapy practitioners and select businesses who believe their services can support veterans. Send us your organization's name, website, and contact information to be considered for referrals.
Introduce your practiceRefer a veteran
Know a veteran who could use support or community? Point them our way, or reach out and we will help you make the connection.
Make a referral
Contact
Talk to a person, not a ticket queue
Veterans, families, practitioners, partners, and neighbors: if it concerns veteran wellness in our corner of Illinois, we want to hear from you.
Call us
VetPark's main line, for support requests, partnerships, and general questions.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, or text 838255. Free, confidential, 24/7, staffed by people who understand veterans.