Dina Dwyer-Owens and Mike Owens Pledge $250,000 Donation to VetFran

Dina Dwyer-Owens, brand ambassador for Neighborly, a past chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA), and a past chair of the IFA’s VetFran Committee; and her husband Mike Owens have pledged $250,000 to the IFA Foundation in support of the VetFran and Franchising Gives Back programs. The donation is being made through their family’s donor-advised fund, Faithful Servant II, and makes them one of the leading supporters of the VetFran Program.

Becoming the Legacy Sponsor of VetFran is deeply personal for Dwyer-Owens, as it was her late father, Don Dwyer, Sr., who founded the VetFran program at Dwyer Group (now known as Neighborly) in 1991 following the First Gulf War. The program was an inspiration for the entire franchise sector, and was later adopted by the International Franchise Association to become its flagship veteran’s initiative. Don Dwyer Sr.’s vision thus transcended his own company and grew into a sector-wide commitment to veterans.

“As VetFran approaches its 30th anniversary, it was an especially meaningful time for me to increase my support for the program my father founded,” said Dwyer-Owens. “I hope that those in our community who recognize and honor how valuable veterans are to our country and to franchising join me in recommitting to this program,” she added. The legacy pledge will support the program for a decade to come.

In addition to supporting VetFran, a portion of the donation will also go toward the Franchising Gives Back initiative – the IFA Foundation’s vehicle for recognizing and encouraging community impact by franchises. The IFA Foundation’s Chairman, Tony Valle, said “Dina and her family continue to be a model of leadership and giving. The family’s ten-year pledge ensures that Franchising Gives Back will remain a long-term commitment to amplify the positive impact of franchising philanthropy and volunteerism in the communities we serve across the country.”