CENTRAL, SC (WSPA) – The Warriors CARE Center at Southern Wesleyan University was created to meet the needs of veterans on campus.

Tina Barnes enlisted in the US Navy shortly after 9/11. She served for two years.

“Being able to come in and have a quiet space is very valuable to my upbringing,” Barnes said.

Now a student at SWU, she said the space allowed her to connect and connect with other veterans.

“Having a center like this reinforces that my sacrifice, my time in the United States Navy is respected,” Barnes said.

Warriors CARE Center Coordinator Donna Pittman said, “The veteran population has been neglected for so long for so many years. It just seems to me that they slip through the cracks and we want them to know that they are valued and respected.

The center was provided to the school through a grant.

It opened last week and staff said it has already been popular with serving military veterans and students.

“We want veteran students to get the resources they need. We want them to have a space of their own, a place where they can feel safe,” Pittman said,

The Warriors CARE program not only serves military members affiliated with the school, they plan to host an upstate veterans resource event in March.