CONTACTS

Fred Altman, Ben Marich, and Tom Lash have combined seniority of over one hundred years of successful business acumen, managing profitable ventures, and helping US military veterans. They serve as the Directors and Shareholders.  

Fred Altman holds a bachelor’s degree in economics
from Wofford College and has more than thirty years of experience in the banking, project development & management, construction, and insurance industries. Fred wanted to find a way to help relieve some of the homeless veterans’ problems in Columbia, SC. As a result, he observed how inadequate the resources are for affordable housing for US military veterans;

Disabled veterans are even further disadvantaged. Fred founded VAlanthropy, LLC, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation to help homeless vets. He enlisted Ben Marich and Tom Lash, both recently retired, successful managers of veteran programs to join VAlanthropy to develop and execute a veterans housing project in South Carolina. 

Ben Marich is a one hundred percent disabled Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran. Ben is also a member of the prestigious Explorers Club and the exclusive Army Navy Club in Washington, DC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University- Tempe, AZ, and an MBA in Business and Health Administration from Argosy University-Sarasota, FL. Ben’s dedication to helping veterans includes assistance with employment, benefits- compensation, disability, education, case management, and service for disabilities- including PTSD and TBI. Ben’s 100% disability rating from the Veterans Administration is based on PTSD and hearing loss. Ben understands homelessness and struggles with disabilities from a personal perspective. For over ten years, Ben was director of the nonprofit Caring for Children’s Charities organization in Sarasota, FL. Ben is a proud lifetime member of The DAV, VFW, and Vietnam Veterans of America.

Tom Lash is a Marine Corps Vietnam-era veteran. He studied at Southern Colorado State College- Pueblo, CO. He recently retired after twenty-eight successful years in the staffing industry, the last ten years as President and CEO of the one-hundred-million-dollar government division of the world’s largest staffing company. In that role, wanting to do more to help veterans searching for work, Tom recruited Ben Marich because of his passion for helping veterans. Together, they developed a ten-year success record of providing temporary employment, resource information, and a personal contact helpline for veterans returning from deployment and transitioning out of military service. Their effort employed over six thousand US military veterans in some of the world’s best companies allowing them to convert their military job training skills to private sector work experience.

Born in ND and migrating to South Carolina, Carley Carr is the Marketing Director and exclusive real estate agent for VAlanthropy. Carley brings an extensive branding and marketing background from her former days with iHeart Media as a Regional Account Manager. Representing several Nationally recognized brands such as Pepsi, Hershey’s, and State Farm, she also pursued regional and local businesses in the restaurant, automotive, and healthcare industries, including local charity Pawmetto Lifeline. Carley was awarded several sales awards throughout her career in media and was honored with an Addy award for Creative Writing and Production with an advertising campaign she developed.

Representing VAlanthropy for real estate purchases, she has over five years of real estate knowledge and sales, hanging her license at Southern Visions Real Estate in Lexington, South Carolina.

Supporting veterans is a cause close to Carley’s heart as her father and grandfather are both veterans, serving in World War II and Vietnam, both with the Air Force.

Carley’s enthusiastic can-do attitude and caring nature are ideal for creating partnerships with other local organizations, donors, and event-related fundraising efforts. She understands and appreciates the many unique benefits of life in the Midlands, with its amazing culture, community events, restaurants, services, schools, parks, recreational opportunities, and unmatched beauty of the area! In her free time, she enjoys nature photography and mixed media art and is an expert-level equestrian in western pleasure, cutting, and trail riding.

Larry DeRoche, a retired US Army Sergeant Major, is a lifetime member of the VFW and National Infantry Association. Having served in organizations such as the 509th Airborne Battalion Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and I Corps, he had the opportunity to develop a deep respect for those he served with.

Recognized as having a significant training and education background, he has authored articles for the Center for Army Lessons Learned. Based on those efforts, Larry was selected to participate in a leadership study and is co-author of a leadership study for the Center for Army Leadership. Selected to work with the Hungarian Military, he worked with Hungarian military leaders to develop training and mentorship programs for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense.

For over 20 years, Larry has worked in business development and sales in positions from Business Development Manager to Vice President for electro-optical companies, engineering firms, consulting firms, and Fortune 500 companies domestically and internationally.

Larry is a lifetime member of the VFW, National Infantry Association, and the Association of the United States Army and is a strong supporter of the Susan G Komen Foundation. He is married with two children and two grandchildren.