Wilmer Valderrama launched a sportswear and lifestyle brand with a philanthropic twist.
The 44-year-old actor recently announced The EPU brand, which stands for “E Pluribus Unum,” or “From Many, One,” the active lifestyle brand has formed a direct partnership with the USO, an organization Valderrama has been involved with for nearly 20 years. A portion of its sales will go toward contributing to its mission of “enhancing the well-being of military members and their families,” according to a statement.
Valderrama has been working on this project, which he himself financed 100%, for several years. NCIS The actor said he was looking for a way to help, as he puts it, the people he loves and respects so much by donating money to different programs such as pre-deployment and homecoming programs. He noted that he had seen companies advertising military-related vacations, but he wondered what the long-term commitment looked like.
“I started wondering if we were to commit throughout the year to creating a signal that could continue not only to heal but also to provide life-saving services, what would that look like?” Valderrama said. The Hollywood Reporter.
“We dedicate a percentage of all our sales to support important U.S. military programs across the country,” he added. “That’s kind of our philosophy.”
The company’s mission seems to fit with Valderrama’s experience, who has worked with the USO for nearly two decades. The actor, along with NCIS: Hawaii Actress Vanessa Lachey is a global ambassador for the nonprofit and has participated in more than 45 USO engagements around the world.
Looking back, Valderrama acknowledged that Bob Hope was someone he saw play for the armed forces. “I thought, ‘Oh, maybe one day … one day I can get in front of the armed forces and play like him,'” he said.
The actor said he eventually got involved with the USO after meeting military personnel at the airport who told him they were fans of This 70s show and that other members of the department were trading DVDs of the show “like baseball cards.”
Dr. J.D. Crouch II, president and CEO of the USO, said the nonprofit invited Valderrama to be a global ambassador because of the “special role” he has played since becoming involved with the organization. “Wilmer will be overseas, he’ll meet someone, he’ll come back and call or FaceTime the parents and say, ‘Hey, I saw your son or daughter,’” Crouch recalled.
Valderrama said he “fell in love with the idea of coming and just saying thank you” to service members on these missions. “I’ve been to almost every base in the world,” he said, noting that he’s visited soldiers multiple times at Christmas and Thanksgiving. “I’m so proud,” he continued.
“Ever since I was little, I have kind of…
