Murrieta Nonprofit to Offer Free RV Trips to Military

Rory Smith knows a thing or two about Military deployments.

Smith's wife, Army Lt. Col. Sarah Letts-Smith, has been in the Army for 28 years, and has been deployed three times since 9/11.

She is now in the Army Reserves, but Smith knows all too well the need to get away from it all, living free and fun in an RV. There were times when his wife was deployed that he would take his four children on RV trips for three or four days, just to escape the pressures of running a home as a single parent. Their children are now 19, 15, 12 and 11.

"RVing was a good way for the kids and I to stay sane," Smith said.

It was also a good way to reconnect with his wife when she returned home, he said.

Smith owns BEST BUY RV in Murrieta, but has recently formed the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, For Free and For Fun (F4RV), with the purpose of providing free RV trips for service members and their families.

"The idea was that I really understood what the Military family is going through. Now that we have had the business open for two years, it is a natural for us to add the nonprofit."

The Smiths have one RV set aside for the launch of the program in early August, and hope to add two or three to the fleet. The RV sleeps six and offers all the comforts of home.

He said no rental fee will be charged, but service members will be asked to pay full-coverage insurance and refill the gas tank. They will be welcome to take three- to four-day trips.

He is hoping members of the business community will get involved by offering gas cards and food certificates or other donations to lighten their load even more.

"This is our way of saying we understand."

To find out more about F4RV, contact Rory Smith at 951-677-9444 or rory@bestbuyrvsocal.com. Or stop by BEST BUY RV at 41451 Los Alamos Road in Murrieta. Smith expects to launch a website for the program in early August.

Check out ActionAmerica.com if you'd like to tell the country how you're taking positive action in your community."