“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on Earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”
-Vincent Van Gogh
Our Values
COMMUNITY
We believe unity among our citizens more positively impacts the lives of our veterans, first responders, and families.
EMPOWERMENT
We encourage finding joy, purpose, and passion for all those who dream.
INTEGRITY
We uphold honesty, decency, kindness and good character in ourselves and others we partner with.
HONOR
We revere service to community, country, and God.
EXCELLENCE
We exceed expectations through constructive, relevant, and results-driven ideas.
COURAGE
We admire the resilience of our heroes and families as they overcome obstacles and the extreme challenges they face serving our country and communities.
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Leslie mayne
Founder
Prayer Breakfast Director
Leslie Mayne, the Founding Director and non-voting member of the Board, organized the first Race For A Soldier in 2011 to honor her son’s memory and raise awareness to the invisible wounds of war that he experienced. That was the beginning of the Permission to Start Dreaming Foundation, which was officially incorporated in 2013.
Seth storset
President
Pull For a Soldier Director
Seth Storset is the President of the Board and has been involved with the Foundation since its inception. He is a Maritime Leader at TOTE, and a member of the Gig Harbor City Council. He has a passion for the mission of the Foundation as he is the son-in-law of Leslie Mayne, the Founding Director. He experienced first-hand the loss of PFC Kyle Farr to post-traumatic stress and continues to work tirelessly to bring awareness to this epidemic among our veterans and first responders.
Mickey TrAugutt
Treasurer
Veteran
Mickey Traugutt returns to the Board in 2024 to serve as the Treasurer, following a break after serving as the Foundation President from 2018-2020. A graduate of West Point and an Army combat veteran, he is currently the CEO of Washington Patriot Construction, a commercial general contractor that builds for and serves private and federal clients in the PNW. Mickey attended the Warrior PATHH Program in 2017 at Boulder Crest Virginia and understands firsthand the positive impacts it has towards post-traumatic growth (PTG).
Packy Rieder
Veteran
Swing For a Soldier Director
Packy Rieder, is a veteran and currently a Real Estate Broker with his wife, Kari, at Gig Harbor’s premier real estate firm, Hawkins-Poe. Packy has been the Director of Swing For A Soldier, the Foundation’s annual golf tournament for the past several years. He is also a great spokesperson for the Foundation with his personal testimony about participating in the Warrior PATHH program.
Victoria woodarski
Board Member
Victoria Woodarski joins the Board in 2024, bringing over three decades of non-profit development leadership. Her passion for development, with a particular focus on event-based fundraising, led her into service for organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Bellarmine Preparatory School. Victoria’s profound personal connection to veteran support is shaped by the legacy of her family’s multi-generation military service.
Mike Mitchell
Board Member
Veteran
Mike Mitchell is a Vietnam veteran and has served on the Board since 2014. Mike also organizes and produces a music festival each year that benefits the Foundation with financial resources. He also serves as the host of the monthly Heroes Huddle.
Don Gartlan, Jr.
Board Member
Don Gartlan is the Chief Investment Officer at Westgate Capital Consultants and has recently rejoined the Board of Directors. He and his wife Amy, who he met at Texas A&M University, have a long history of commitment to the Foundation, beginning with being one of the first sponsors of the inaugural Race For A Soldier. Don also served as the first Board President, and through the years, his support has never wavered. Don also grew up a “military brat” as his father served 23 years in the Air Force.
Tom wymer
Board Member
Veteran
Tom Wymer joined our Board in 2024 and is passionate about serving veterans, especially through the challenging transition from active duty to civilian life. As a prior Navy NCO and OIF/OEF veteran, Tom has leveraged his unique perspective on the difficulties service members face in his post-military career. He previously served on the Expedia Military Veterans Association and is a champion of veteran hiring in his current role as a Strategy Consultant at Wimmer Solutions.
Hartleigh Caine
Board Member
Veteran
Hartleigh joins the Board in 2024 to serve our fellow veterans and first responders. She is a West Point and Columbia Business School graduate, a Longbow Apache pilot, and a combat veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the Managing Partner at Parker Remick, an executive search firm supporting technology companies, their founders, and investors. Hartleigh is passionate about supporting veterans and first responders and the positive impacts of programs like Warrior PATHH.
Get involved
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities and want to support veterans and first responders through impactful events, please contact us now!
Do You Need Help?
If you are in a crisis and need to talk right away, or you are concerned about somebody else, there is always someone to listen and help.