PALM HARBOR, Fla. —
After serving more than two decades in the U.S. Navy, veteran, Paul Keyes, came back to Pinellas County and began working on his next venture, a clothing brand.
"We wanted something with a classic logo that all branches of the military could wear with pride," Keyes said in an interview with 10 Tampa Bay. "We designed the name Club 214, in reference to the DD-214, which is the discharge document that all veterans have, often used as proof of military service."
Now, Club 214, owned by Keyes and an active-duty Navy Seal, has a full catalog of clothes but over the past year, it became so much more than something people wear—the brand started to live up to its name. He started a group on Facebook and it didn’t take long for it to catch on.
"The whole purpose behind Club 214 was to get people together," Keyes added. "Over the course of a little over seven, eight days, we had 640 people join.”
Six hundred forty Tampa Bay area veterans and their families are now connected, sharing stories and meeting people who know what it's like to serve.
"They're talking, they're getting together, they're helping one another," Keyes explained. "People are reaching out that need support, it's just been fantastic to see."
Fellowship and camaraderie fostered by groups like Keyes’ are often invaluable for veterans. Many have posted on the group's page expressing their excitement to find the local community.
"Oftentimes, only another veteran understands what you went through, and their families because their families are just as important,” Keyes added.
The group has outings and frequent meetups planned through the summer and as the brand grows, Keyes hopes the groups will grow across the state, making veterans feel more connected when they come back home.
“We already have people that are getting ready to leave to go to a different state and asking if they can open a Club 214 in Georgia and so that they can get the message out and connect veterans there,” Keyes added. “That's the overall intention down the line is to really do this across the United States.”