Supporting vets

CRESCENT BAR — A fundraiser to support Wake For Warriors will be held this Saturday at Crescent Bar. Money raised at the event will go towards the annual Wake For Warriors event held at Crescent Bar later this summer.

“I have been a volunteer with Wake for Warriors for three years. This will be my fourth season with them and my fourth time at Crescent Bar. I cannot believe the love and support that we get from the Crescent Bar Community,” said Alyssa Phillips, assistant coordinator for the Pacific Northwest chapter of Wake for Warriors.

Wake For Warriors is a nonprofit organization that supports veterans and their families by holding events nationwide where the service members and their families can spend time with other veterans on the water wakeboarding. This allows the veterans to bond with others who can relate to the struggles they face due to their service and support them in it. Many of the participants have some form of physical or mental disability, according to Terry Knight, coordinator for the group’s Pacific Northwest chapter.

The Wake for Warriors' mission is “to connect with injured military veterans through sharing our passion for wake and water sports,” the organization’s website states.

Knight started out as a participant before becoming a volunteer. After participating in an event in Texas, Knight said he met David Deep, the founder of Wake for Warriors, and realized he wanted to bring Wake For Warriors to the Pacific Northwest.

While not all Wake For Warrior events are three days long, such as the one held at Crescent Bar, it all depends on funding because the event is completely free for veterans and their families.

Support from local businesses and community members is very important and directly influences the number of people the event can host. For example, Wake for Warriors does not own any wakeboarding boats in the Pacific Northwest so they rely on volunteers to get participants on the water.

While most money collected at this weekend’s fundraiser will be used locally, any left over will go back to the organization for their events held nationally.

Along with raising money for the local event, the fundraiser celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the Wake For Warriors organization and the fifth year Wake for Warriors has been active in the Pacific Northwest. This last summer was the third time Wake For Warriors was held at Crescent Bar and drew about 25 veterans and their families.

This summer’s Crescent Bar event will occur Sept. 9-11 for surfing the Columbia River, camping and gathering.

“I know that the veterans love coming out to Crescent Bar each year and connecting with each other and the community members who help support this amazing event,” said Phillips. “At Wake for Warriors we are all about creating community and the Crescent Bar community has definitely stepped up and helped us create that on and off the water at this event.”

The Wake for Warriors Silent Auction and Dinner will be held at Sunfire Grill on May 21. The event opens at 5 p.m. with appetizers and the dinner, catered by Me2You Catering, starts at 6 p.m. There will be live music by End of the Line and the Coyote Kings with dancing and games throughout the night. Tickets are $100 per person. Call Christie Gilbert for tickets at (907) 978-6919.

For more information on Wake For Warriors visit https://www.wakeforwarriorsorg/. The website has links to future events, merchandise and to donate to the nonprofit. If anyone would like to support Wake for Warrior gatherings at Crescent Bar, contact Gerry Fierling at gfierling@confluent.io.

Phillips said she enjoys volunteering with the program because she feels the community has a duty to give back to veterans that have served.

“They have already sacrificed so much for us and oftentimes I feel they get overlooked. Being a part of the Wake For Warriors community fills me up. Seeing them come together for a few days on the water (and) connecting with one another is an amazing experience for me. I hope to be part of it for years to come,” she said.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.