Wounded Heroes fundraiser boosts spirits
| Sunday, Feb 28 2010 04:10 PM
Last Updated Monday, Mar 01 2010 09:02 AM
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Nam Dang, views a small portion of the memorials that lined the wall at the Kern county fairgrounds honoring lost and missing servicemen at the Salute to Local Heros. Dang was a volunteer at the even
Efrain Sanchez ,Jr., member of the West High JRROTC color guard, wait the foe the afternoon events to begin at the fairgrounds honoring local service men and women.
Korea Army veteran Dale Stolte of Bakersfield is surrounded by the stars and stripes at the "A Salute To Our Local Heroes" event at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
Efrain Sanchez ,Jr., member of the West High JRROTC color guard, wait the foe the afternoon events to begin at the fairgrounds honoring local service men and women.
Nam Dang, views a small portion of the memorials that lined the wall at the Kern county fairgrounds honoring lost and missing servicemen at the Salute to Local Heros. Dang was a volunteer at the even
A large and supportive crowd turned out Sunday for Kern's second annual salute to veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Salute to Our Local Heroes, put on by the nonprofit Wounded Heroes Fund, drew an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 attendees to the Kern County Fairgrounds, according to Terri Bender, who coordinates events for the fund along with Ronda Newport.
A tri-tip lunch and an afternoon program of speeches from veterans and politicians was emceed by Jim Scott, anchorman for KGET. Music from band Von Cotton provided interludes between speakers.
Wendy Porter, executive director of the Wounded Heroes Fund, said the Bakersfield-based group supports servicemembers injured in current conflicts with help not offered by other agencies.
"We fill in the gaps," Porter said.
The all-volunteer organization might, say, remodel a wounded veteran's bathroom or pay travel costs for medical services when other funding sources run out.
U.S. Army Cpl. Wesley Leon-Barrientos, for example, spent about 18 months at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., Porter said, but the Army only paid travel costs for one trip home to Bakersfield. Leon-Barrientos lost parts of both legs in Iraq in December 2007 when a roadside bomb exploded under a truck he was riding in.
The Wounded Heroes Fund paid additional expenses as Leon-Barrientos recovered at Walter Reed -- he now walks with prosthetics -- paid rent for his wife and baby girl and helped keep his mother's home from foreclosing. He was one of the speakers at Sunday's event.
Attendee Dale Stolte, 79, a veteran of the Korean War, sat with wife Darla, 73, enjoying lunch at one of the long tables stretched out in an exhibition hall. It was the couple's second year at the fundraiser.
Darla Stolte said she was motivated by "just the idea of being able to give to our heroes." The Stoltes belong to VFW Post 10859 and Darla Stolte is also a member of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Both groups, along with many others, had a presence at Sunday's event.
You can learn more about the Wounded Heroes Fund at thewoundedheroesfund.org or by calling 324-7453.
