Chehalis Tribes Hold Successful Veterans Benefit

ROCHESTER, Wash., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chehalis Confederated Tribes held a highly successful benefit dinner and theater performance for returning combat veterans at the Lucky Eagle Casino Event Center May 17th, tribal officials announced this week. The fundraising effort, appropriately named "The Return To Honor Veterans Benefit," was created to provide much needed support for the Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund and the Freedoms Foundation's Return To Honor program. Hosted by television personality Grant Goodeve, the event was attended by an enthusiastic crowd of 250 and raised over $65,000.

"We are pleased with the support and participation we received from the community," said Chehalis Tribal Chairman David Burnett. "It was our belief that people would welcome the opportunity to help charitable organizations that serve our returning combat veterans, and that proved to be the case. We are especially grateful to our key corporate sponsors, Pepsi, Wells Fargo, Uhlmann I-5 Auto Group, Reichert's Distributing and the Olympian."

The benefit featured moving speeches by Major Davina French, veteran of the Iraq War and currently the Interagency Coordination Officer for the North Dakota National Guard, Thomas K. Lee, combat veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and Major Daniel Dudek, Iraq War combat veteran who served with the Stryker Combat Brigade team (4th Brigade, 2d Infantry Division).

Audience members included local dignitaries, Chehalis Tribal officials, representatives of the beneficiary organizations, and family members of soldiers currently serving in Iraq.

The evening concluded with a riveting theater performance by Kenny Carnes entitled "Pieces of War," in which he portrays 12 diverse characters and how each is affected by war. Mr. Carnes repeated his performance at the casino on May 18th before an audience made up largely of military personnel who had received complimentary tickets.

Event proceeds and donations will be sent to the Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund, and to the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge in support of their Return To Honor Program.

The Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund is a local nonprofit organization based in Dupont, Washington, just south of Fort Lewis. The fund supports the soldiers and families of the Stryker Combat Brigade Team known as the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, United States Army. The organization provides goods and services to the families of soldiers killed in action, soldiers wounded in action, the families of wounded soldiers while the soldier recovers, and the families of deployed soldiers.

The nonprofit Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge is dedicated to upholding the values of freedom and Democracy. The Return to Honor program is designed to help returning veterans cope with the effects of combat stress and to ease their transition back to life in the United States.

The Chehalis Tribes' Lucky Eagle Casino and Eagles Landing Hotel are located at 12888 188th Avenue Southwest in Rochester, Washington.