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Richard L.
Koca, Sr.: Navy Career
Rick grew up in the Navy, joining at the age of 17 and serving in a variety of locations and positions during his 30-year career. In Europe, he flew with the USAF as a Battle Staff Team member aboard the European Airborne Command Post. In Panama, he was the Adjutant General to the U. S. Commander in Chief. And, he also had his own command at Lowry AFB in Denver, Colorado. Koca was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Joint Service Commendation Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, three Navy Achievement Medals, as well as numerous service awards and commendations. He retired from the Navy in January 1991 as a Lieutenant Commander while serving as the Executive Officer of Commander Submarine Development Group ONE in San Diego. Several months before the Navy transferred him to San Diego in 1988, Rick saw a "48 Hours" news magazine segment on homeless and street kids in Southern California. He knew instantly what he was going to do in his free time. Within eight days of his arrival, he was in training to work with kids in crisis. His volunteer background helped. Rick first volunteered with an orphanage, and during the years that his children were growing up, he served as the President of the Junior High School Advisory Committee, a member of the Senior High School Advisory Committee, Scoutmaster of a BSA Troop of 72 Scouts, the Vice President of the Girl Scouts, and a member of parish councils. In January 1990, with his own money and the help of several friends, Rick Koca started Stand Up For Kids, an all- volunteer organization based on a simple idea: "We tell homeless and street kids we care about them. Then we go to the streets and prove it!" "Helping homeless and street kids wasn't something I was thinking about as I got ready to hang up my uniform," Rick said. "There have been many times when I just wanted to turn my back on it all," but sometimes, he walks the streets seven nights a week looking for "kids who didn't trust us and wouldn't come and ask for help, like an HIV-positive 18-year -old; a 12-year-old living in a dumpster; 17-year-old heroin addict; a 13-year-old prostitute. What makes our children come to the conclusion that it is safer on the streets than at home? That they can make it on the streets? What have they lived through? "My children and grandchildren live in Denver, Colorado, just down the road from Colombine High School, the scene of the high school shooting that received so much national attention," Rick said. "Yet, we never hear about the 13 homeless youths who die on the streets every day! Should we not be as outraged at this loss of life too?" Stand Up For Kids has been recognized three times by the White House, the U.S. Justice Department, American Express, the Governor's Office in Arizona, and received the JCPenney Golden Rule Award. The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge recently awarded Rick Koca the George Washington Honor Award. "Your program exemplifies the essence of the National Awards by promoting an understanding and appreciation of responsible citizenship, community involvement and the benefits of a free society. You are chosen to become part of an historically prestigious group of American citizens that advance the American ideal." For all the accolades the organization has received, there is still much to do and funds are desperately needed. "Six days on the road and I'm going to make it home tonight!" Rick wrote in his most recent email letter. "Since the last update, I've spent a couple of weeks on the East Coast with the volunteers in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. In fact, I've spent more than 147 days on the road in the last 12 months. My suitcase has been packed more than it has been unpacked. And, I've stood in so many lines that I thought I was back in the Navy!" The newsletter now reaches more than 3,000 people including 50 subscribers in foreign countries. "Our trainers are now on site and conducting training sessions, making presentations, and teaching volunteers how to work with street kids (training is typically eight 2-hour sessions). One of our goals is, through presentations, to reach more of the public and tell them first hand about homeless and street kids. We believe that with these Regional Trainers, we'll reach far more people and thereby gain more support and help more kids. We can do this!" Getting Started Contact Rick Koca: STANDUP FOR KIDS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with national headquarters in San Diego, California.
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Much-decorated,
career naval officer, Richard (Rick) L. Koca, Sr., 64, father of three and grandfather of
eight, has been helping children -- many of them less fortunate than his own -- for most
of his adult life. Stand Up For Kids, an all-volunteer organization he founded in 1990 and
heads today, goes out into the streets to rescue, educate, and involve homeless and
at-risk youth -- more than one and a half million children, teenagers and young adults,
based on current estimates. Children now make up 27 percent -- the fastest growing segment
-- of the U.S. homeless population, according to the organization’s statistics.