Wounded Heroes Fund provides support to local veterans

Provided.

To thank Wendy Porter for her presentation, President Jennifer Palakiko presented her with a certificate, and a donation was made to the Rotary Foundation in her honor.

At the Sept. 5 meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi, the club listened to a presentation from Wendy Porter and Jeff Magdalena, from the Wounded Heroes Fund in Bakersfield. The Wounded Heroes Fund (WHF) is a service organization for veterans and their families to support them in accessing resources and facilitating healthy transitions to civilian life.

In early 2009, Wendy Porter and her husband Mike invited a handful of close friends to dinner. Around their dining room table, Mike and Wendy shared the idea of helping a local veteran and his family, by putting on a dinner and concert to raise funds which could be donated to the family. This was intended to be a one-time event, but fast-forward, and the Wounded Heroes Fund (WHF) was born. WHF is now one of the most successful nonprofit organizations in Kern County.

Wendy is the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, and she grew up knowing what it was like to have little support for her father and her family. She realized there was a huge gap that needed to be filled in order to help young veteran families transition to civilian life in Kern County. Wendy holds a master's degree in education and, after nine years of teaching, she decided to stay home when her daughter, Chloe, was born. As a stay-at-home mother, Wendy realized that she wanted to do something to give back to wounded veterans and their families, and she now had time for that dream to come to fruition. With the help of family and friends, the WHF was started.

Although her first office was her kitchen table, WHF now has a 5,000-square-foot office at 3121 Standard Street in Bakersfield. They have five full-time employees, and all are veterans except one, who is the wife of a marine, hoping to add a feeling of compassion and understanding for the veterans they serve. They also hire additional veterans who are going to school on their G.I. Bill under the work study program, and their salaries are paid by veterans Affairs. Jeff Magdalena started with WHF as work study and now works for them full time, primarily responsible for their food bank.

Although their new location is a large space, Wendy says that they worked hard to make sure it has a comfortable and homey feeling so their clients are set at ease. They have a playroom for children to keep them occupied if the parents have a meeting. They also have a computer lab with 10 computers, which has become very important. When COVID hit, everything through the VA went online, which has been challenging for many local Vietnam vets, so the staff is able to help the veterans access the online services they need.

WHF receives no government funding, so they are 100% funded by private donations and grants. They work hard to figure out how to fill the gaps that they see in the services for their families. One focus for WHF is to coordinate the services necessary from multiple agencies and hold a joint meeting, so the veteran only has to walk through one door to access the help they need. Sometimes they receive a veteran who is essentially in crisis mode and don't have time to get the service aligned, so WHF staff will go with the veteran to the different agencies as a support to get the process started. Wendy said their policy is to never say no to a veteran who reaches out to them for help; in the event they don't meet the criteria, WHF will find ways to help with what they can. Although most of the veterans served are from Bakersfield, they assist a few veterans in eastern Kern County and have a staff member who regularly goes to Ridgecrest.

WHF offers several programs which have become extremely important to local veterans and their families. During and after COVID, food insecurity has been a serious need, which they had never seen to this extent before. WHF has emergency food kits, which contain 3-5 days of food, in additional to food cards for groceries. They cater to the size of the family and ensure the family gets access to the entire food pyramid. They even help provide transportation if needed.

Regiment Ruck has become a popular and powerful experience, as they take veterans out on overnight hiking trips so they can unplug and complete various tasks and challenges. Even amputees are accommodated so they can participate, and the experience helps rebuild the sense of camaraderie they experienced in the military.

WHF also provides equine therapy through their Stable Forces program at MARE Equestrian Center. Wendy saw the benefit of equine therapy after her own daughter participated in the program at MARE and felt that their veterans would benefit as well. Their Stable Forces program pays for the equine therapy, as it is amazing what an animal can do for people in need of emotional support.

In addition, the Bakersfield Condors honor a "Veteran of the Game" at every home hockey game. Anyone can nominate a veteran on the WHF website, and if selected, the veteran and their family get to enjoy a hockey game and walk out onto the ice to be honored at the game.

The Tehachapi Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at Kelcy's. Rotary is committed to "Service Above Self," and devotes time and resources to projects in the local community, scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, and supporting global efforts for polio eradication. For more information about the Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/.