2026 Nominate a Veteran Program

Nominate a Local Veteran in Need

Attorney Advertising.

Do you know a veteran in Western New York who needs financial assistance? Medical bills. Home repairs. Something else entirely. Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races) are partnering to support veterans who’ve served.

If you know someone, nominate them. We’ll make a financial contribution to two veterans to help with their need.

Submitting a nomination does not create an attorney-client relationship with Richmond Vona, LLC. No legal advice is being given or requested through this program, and information you submit is not confidential or privileged. Do not send us information about any legal claim through this form.

Sponsor Identification

Sponsors: Richmond Vona, LLC, 192 Seneca Street Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14204, (716) 500-5678, and Destination Races, LLC d/b/a the Veterans Race, 1 Naval Park Cove, Buffalo, NY 14202. In these Rules, “Sponsors” means Richmond Vona, LLC and Veterans Race (Destination Races) together. These Official Rules govern the program and control over any inconsistent statement in any advertisement, social media post, or other promotional material.

Who Can Nominate

Anyone 18 or older residing in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, or Genesee County. No purchase necessary to enter, and a Veterans Race (Destination Races) entry is not required to submit a nomination.

Employees, officers, directors, members, and contractors of either Sponsor, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling) and household members, are not eligible to nominate or to be nominated.

Who Qualifies

Honorably discharged veterans and active military members living in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, or Genesee County.

Nominee must be 18 years of age or older at the time of nomination. Nominations of minors will not be considered.

What We Need

Veterans: DD-214
(Please redact your Social Security number before submitting your DD-214.)
Active military: proof of active service. Sponsors will verify military identification by visual inspection, in person or by live video call. Do not send us a copy, scan, or photograph of your military ID card — federal law prohibits reproducing it, and we cannot accept one.
All nominees: Valid US driver’s license
Winners only: completed IRS Form W-9 and a signed Nominee Consent & Release

Selection & Judging

Winners are selected on a merit basis by a review panel designated by the Sponsors, judged on the nature and urgency of the need described (50%), the completeness and verifiability of the nomination (25%), and the strength of the supporting explanation (25%). Selection is not by chance, random drawing, or lottery. Sponsors’ decisions are

final and binding. In the event of a tie, the tied nominations will be re-scored by the panel on urgency of need alone. If Sponsors receive fewer than two qualifying nominations, Sponsors may award fewer than two prizes.

Form Fields

Your Name
Your Email Address
Your Phone Number
Nominee’s Name
Nominee’s Phone Number
Branch of Service
Position served, if known
Years served
Describe the need you are looking to have fulfilled
Why should this nominee be considered?
Picture of nominee, if possible
Checkbox (required): I have read and agree to the Official Rules and understand that submission does not guarantee selection.
Checkbox (required): I confirm that I have the nominee’s permission to submit their name, contact information, photograph, and story, and that any photograph I submit is one I own or have permission to share.
Checkbox (optional — not required to enter or to win): I consent to receive marketing communications from Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races), including by phone, text message, and email.

Contest Rules & Consent

How to Enter

Submit the nomination form with the required documentation listed above. One nomination per person. Nominations close October 15, 2026.

Nominations close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 15, 2026. “One nomination per person” means one submission per nominator. A nominee may be nominated by more than one nominator; multiple nominations of the same nominee will be consolidated and treated as a single nomination for judging purposes.

Sponsors reserve the right to verify eligibility and the authenticity of all documentation, to request additional information or documentation, and to disqualify any nomination that is incomplete, inaccurate, fraudulent, submitted without the nominee’s permission, or that fails verification.

Eligibility

Nominee must reside in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, or Genesee County. No purchase or Veterans Race (Destination Races) entry is required to nominate or to win.

Prize

Two winners will each receive a financial contribution toward their identified need, as determined by Richmond Vona, LLC and Veterans Race (Destination Races), up to $5,000 per person. Winners will not receive a cash award. Richmond Vona, LLC and Veterans Race (Destination Races) will pay the awarded amount directly to the service

provider, up to $5,000. If the total cost of the request is less than $5,000, the winner will not receive the remaining balance.

Maximum aggregate prize value is $10,000. If the total cost of the identified need exceeds $5,000, the winner is solely responsible for the balance, and Sponsors may in their discretion apply the $5,000 toward the need or approve an alternate qualifying need of equal or lesser value.

The prize may have tax consequences to the winner even though payment is made directly to the service provider. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes. Sponsors may issue an IRS Form 1099 and require a completed Form W-9 before any payment is issued.

Prizes are non-transferable and may not be assigned, sold, or exchanged for cash. Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, suspend, modify, or extend this program, or to substitute a prize of comparable value, at any time and for any reason, including if the program cannot be conducted as planned due to fraud, technical failure, insufficient qualifying nominations, or any cause beyond Sponsors’ reasonable control.

Winners will be asked to provide a quotation from the service provider. Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races) reserve the right to review the quoted costs and to speak directly with the provider before payment is issued. Service must be completed by March 1, 2027.

Winners will be notified by phone and email using the contact information provided. If a winner cannot be reached, declines the prize, fails to return a signed Nominee Consent & Release and Form W-9, or fails to provide a valid service provider quotation within fourteen (14) days of notification, that winner forfeits the prize and Sponsors may select an alternate winner in their sole discretion. Sponsors will not notify anyone that they have won unless they have in fact been selected.

A list of winners will be made available on request by writing to Richmond Vona, LLC at the address above.

The following are not eligible expenses under this program: firearms, weapons, ammunition, or hunting equipment; alcohol; tobacco, smoking, or vaping products; and pharmaceuticals or controlled substances.

Also not eligible: cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, debt payoff to a lender or collection agency, legal fees, gambling, or any illegal purpose.

Winner Announcement: Winners will be announced at the Veterans Race Post Race Party on November 7, 2026. Winners need not be present to win. Attendance is not required to nominate, to be nominated, or to receive a prize.

Name & Likeness

By submitting a nomination, both the nominator and the nominee grant Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races) a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide right to use the nominee’s name, image, likeness, voice, and any story details submitted, in connection with promotions, advertising, social media, press releases, and other marketing materials related to this contest, without additional compensation. This consent survives the conclusion of the contest and applies whether or not the nominee is selected as a winner.

A nominator’s submission does not by itself bind the nominee to this grant. New York Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51 require the prior written consent of a living person before their name, portrait, picture, likeness, or voice is used for advertising or trade purposes, and using it without that consent is a misdemeanor exposing Sponsors to injunctive relief, damages, and potentially exemplary damages. Accordingly, before any nominee’s name, image, likeness, voice, or story is used in Sponsors’ promotional materials, and before any prize funds are disbursed on a winning nominee’s behalf, that nominee (or their legal representative, if the nominee lacks capacity) must separately sign Sponsors’ Nominee Consent & Release.

By submitting a nomination, the nominator represents and warrants that they have the nominee’s permission to submit the nominee’s information, and that the nominator owns or has the right to grant use of any photograph submitted. The nominator agrees to indemnify and hold Sponsors harmless from any claim arising out of a breach of these representations, including any claim of copyright infringement relating to a submitted photograph.

Release of Liability

By participating in this contest, the nominee and/or winner, on behalf of themselves and their heirs, executors, and assigns, release and forever discharge Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races), along with their respective officers, employees, agents, and event partners, from any and all claims, demands, damages, or causes of action arising out of or related to participation in this contest, the nomination process, receipt of the prize, or the use of the awarded funds, including but not limited to any injury, loss, or damage of any kind. This release applies regardless of whether such claims arise from the negligence of Richmond Vona, LLC; the Veterans Race (Destination Races); or any other party involved in administering the contest.

This release extends to any service provider paid under this program. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sponsors’ total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to this program shall not exceed $5,000 per claimant, and Sponsors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages. Nothing in this section limits any right that cannot be waived or limited under New York law.

No Warranty on Service Provider Work

Sponsors do not select, endorse, supervise, inspect, or warrant the work of any service provider paid under this program. Sponsors make no representation as to the quality, safety, licensing, insurance, workmanship, or timeliness of any goods or services provided, and are not responsible for the acts or omissions of any service provider. Winners are solely responsible for selecting, vetting, and contracting with their service provider, and any dispute regarding that work is between the winner and the provider.

Data & Privacy

All submitted information is kept private and secure. Documentation is used solely to verify eligibility.

Sponsors maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for submitted information consistent with New York’s SHIELD Act (GBL § 899-bb). Access to eligibility documentation is restricted to personnel administering the program. Sponsors will retain eligibility documentation only as long as necessary to administer the program and will securely destroy DD-214s and driver’s license copies no later than six (6) months after the program concludes, except where retention is required by law or to resolve a dispute.

Communications

By submitting this form, you consent to receive promotional communications from Richmond Vona, LLC and the Veterans Race (Destination Races).

Marketing consent is optional and is not a condition of nominating, of being nominated, or of winning. If you opt in, you agree that Sponsors may contact you by telephone, text message (including through automated technology), and email, that message and data rates may apply, and that consent is not a condition of any purchase. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to a text message, using the unsubscribe link in an email, or contacting Richmond Vona, LLC at the address above. Sponsors will contact all nominators and nominees as reasonably necessary to administer the program regardless of marketing consent.

Governing Law; Venue; Individual Claims

These Rules are governed by the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to this program shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Erie County, New York, and each participant consents to personal jurisdiction there. All claims must be brought individually and not as part of any class or representative proceeding.

General

This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, X, or any other social media platform on which it may appear. Void where prohibited. Sponsors are not responsible for entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or corrupted, or for technical failures of any kind. If any provision of

these Rules is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. Sponsors’ failure to enforce any provision does not waive that provision. These Rules, together with the Nominee Consent & Release signed by a winner, constitute the entire agreement between Sponsors and participants regarding this program.