Members of the Lance Corporal Chance Phelps Detachment, Marine Corps League of Wyoming, recently made two charitable donations from funds raised during its annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball, which took place in November.
The money was raised through raffles and an auction on the evening of Nov. 11.
Each year, the Marines choose a charity to receive a donation. In the past, the funds have been used to support the Chance Phelps Foundation in Dubois, and the Semper Fi Fund based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.
This year, two local organizations were chosen. They are the Waldner House in Rock Springs and the Fallen Warriors Memorial Out-Camp at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. The Waldner House is administered by the Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Out-Camp is administered by the American Heroes Project within Hand in Hand Outdoors. These groups were chosen due to their regional support of families, patients and veterans.
Pete Bailiff, Commandant of the Detachment, was joined by David Wenig, Past Department of Wyoming Commandant, and several other Marines for the presentation of a $2,500 check to the Memorial Hospital Foundation.
The Marines were given a tour of the Waldner House by Tiffany Marshall, Executive Director of the Memorial Hospital Foundation, enabling them to see the facilities first-hand.
“We are so honored that the Marine Corps League chose us as one of their charities. The Waldner House has helped numerous patients and their families with lodging assistance since opening a year ago and we look forward to continuing that support by offering the Waldner House to anyone who needs a place to stay,” Marshall said. “This donation will help us ensure that patients and their families have everything they need while staying at the Waldner House.”
The Waldner House was established for patients who travel to Rock Springs from the surrounding communities and states needing lodging assistance, while receiving treatment at Sweetwater Memorial Hospital or the Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center. The house is located less than a mile from the hospital, cancer center and medical office buildings and features five bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, two spacious common areas, and an outdoor deck overlooking a large fully fenced backyard. The houses’ location makes it convenient to I-80, Wal-Mart, gas station and shopping areas.
The Marine Corps League Detachment also donated $2,500 to Hand in Hand Outdoors, headquartered in Spanish Fork, Utah. Hand in Hand Outdoors administers several veteran related groups, one of which is The American Heroes Project.
The American Heroes Project has engaged hundreds of disabled veterans in healing with therapeutic outdoor activities since its inception in 2012. The American Heroes Project is devoted exclusively to serving disabled veterans. They provide a place for our nation’s veterans to experience outdoor activities to enhance their lives through education, experience and direct participation in fishing, boating, shooting and camping amid some of America’s most beautiful scenery.
The American Heroes Project operates the Fallen Warrior Memorial Out-Camp located on the shores of Flaming Gorge Reservoir near Manila, Utah. The Fallen Warriors Out-Camp is dedicated to the memory of Utah and Wyoming’s most valiant warriors killed on the battlefields.
The Out-Camp is a 6.5 acre parcel of land with power, water, sewer and frontage road, with facilities consisting of a 30-foot diameter all-weather Yurt that serves as headquarters, cook house, meeting room and indoor activities and instruction room. The structure is wheelchair accessible and fully powered by both electric and propane for cooking, power and heating.
Lodging is provided in eight 14 by 16 canvas wall tents with disabled accessible beds, propane and electric lighting and heat mounted on an 80 by 90 foot wheelchair accessible deck. The camp also hosts a shower and toilet trailer, chapel, outdoor meditation and memorial area, laundry area and outdoor barbecue and fire pit with seating for 40 persons.
Money was also raised during the birthday event to provide continuing funding for the Chance Phelps Scholarships. The scholarship fund provides a $1,000 award to one student in each School District in Sweetwater County. The scholarships are awarded in May, and information about them can be obtained from the school’s guidance office.
The Marine Corps League, Chance Phelps Detachment No. 1406 includes veterans and members of the U.S. Marine Corps who join together in camaraderie and fellowship for the purpose of preserving the traditions and promoting the interests of the United States Marine Corps, banding together those who are now serving and those who have been honorably discharged.
For more information about the Marine Corps League, the Chance Phelps Detachment, the Waldner House, Memorial Hospital Foundation, or Hand in Hand Outdoors, they can be contacted on Facebook or internet.
Marine Corps League: http://www.mclnational.org
L/Cpl Chance Phelps Detachment # 1406 on Facebook: @mcl1406
Detachment Adjutant: bittercreekflys@AOL.com
Memorial Hospital Foundation/Waldner House: www. Sweetwatermemorial.com/our_ foundation or tmarshall@sweetwatermemorial.com
Hand in Hand Outdoors: Americanheroesproject.org
Reader Comments(0)