mission & vision.We Help Veterans &
We Help Veterans &
First Responders
Mission
Our mission is to support veterans, allies, and first responders through our love of wine. We hope to commemorate their actions and support their legacy. We are enormously proud to have helped raise over $50K for heroes since we founded our organization in 2021.
Vision
We envision a world where all veterans, first responders, and allies live with the dignity and quality of life they deserve.
mission & vision.We Help Veterans &
We Help Veterans &
First Responders
Mission
Our mission is to support veterans, allies, and first responders through our love of wine. We hope to commemorate their actions and support their legacy. We are enormously proud to have helped raise over $50K for heroes since we founded our organization in 2021.
Vision
We envision a world where all veterans, first responders, and allies live with the dignity and quality of life they deserve.
Supporting Heroes
Who We Help
First Responders Who Have Suffered Unimaginable Loss.
Injured Veterans Needing Emotional or Physical Support.
Brothers-In-Arms Who Fought Valiantly by Our Side.
Proudly Veteran owned
The Story Behind Our Founders
The Silk Road Wines Foundation is a proudly veteran owned and operated non-profit based in Orlando, Florida. Our founder, Yanick Arakelov, was born in the country of Georgia. He came to the United States when he was 13 years old and served 4 years active duty and continues to serve as a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves. His partner, Barry Greer, served as a Firefighter-Paramedic for 15 years.
Before establishing the Silk Road Wines Foundation Yanick and Barry co-founded the Georgian wine brand, Silk Road Wines. Yanick’s own experience growing up in Georgia has contributed to his passion for wine and though he has spent his life since age 13 in the United States, he still carries that passion. When Yanick met Barry, they bonded over a love of wine and a love of history. It was on a trip to Georgia with Yanick that Barry fell in love with Georgia and its winemaking history. In the beginning of 2020, Silk Road Wines was born, and we have loved watching people discover and fall in love with our wine. One of our proudest distinctions was our love of charitable work. We became a proud partner to both Stephen Siller’s Tunnels to Towers Foundation and the Wounded Warriors Support Foundation – Republic of Georgia. These charities were close to the heart of our brand, as we wanted to do everything we could to help the heroes who have given so much for us.
Our passion for great wine developed into a passion for philanthropy. We found that the love of wine was a great way to bring people together to help support our mission thus the Silk Road Wines Foundation was born. Our goal is to honor our military, first responders, and brothers-in-arms who continue to make the supreme sacrifice for our freedom.
Our Annual Wine for Warriors Gala
Join Our Annual Fundraising Event
We proudly held our first ever Wine for Warriors Gala on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. This was our first ever charity dinner held in honor of the brave men and women who gave so much for our safety and freedom. Our event is complimented by a live and silent auction offering some of Florida’s most sought after items.
Our 2021 fundraising event benefited the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Wounded Warriors Support Foundation of the Republic of Georgia, two nonprofits working to improve the lives of first responders and their families.
This event successfully raised over $50K for these organizations and will continue to be our main event of the year.
why us.
What Makes us Different?
Projects you can trust.
We only provide support to reputable organizations. We’ve even conducted site visits for most organizations—even those in the country of Georgia!
We’re not-for-profit.
Unlike some other crowdfunding platforms, our mission is to help nonprofits and donors have more impact, not to make a profit.
Supporting Local Heroes
When we donate to our proceeds to an organization we ensure that the funds are donated back locally rather than nationally.
Supporting the Local Community?
Request a Donation
If you are a having an event that helps support our local community in any way and would like to request a donation, please fill out the form below. We require at least 30 days lead time to fulfill all sponsorship requests.