(Lander, WY) – The White Heart Foundation recently hosted the White Heart Wonderland Christmas Party at the Lander Community Center, where over $15,000 was raised for the organization, which benefits the mental wellness of Veterans and first responders.
“It’s been years since we organized a public-facing event,” White Heart founder Ryan Sawtelle shared with County 10. “So we reached out to some of our longtime supporters and asked for help pulling together this last-minute Christmas party. We generated enough funds that evening to organize an additional important mental health retreat for our nation’s veterans and first responders.”
The party had food, table games, raffles, and an auction from long-time supporter Bryce Westlake, with raffle and auction items donated from various community members and businesses.
The evening also included a special appearance by EOD2 Jordan Stevenson, a Veteran who survived a bullet wound to the head while deployed with the 75th ARMY Ranger Battalion, and then went on to join the White Heart Cause. Stevenson’s new book, ‘Unstoppable: The Power of Never Giving Up,’ is out now and tells his story, which you can also hear teasers of in his 2022 KOVE Coffee Time interview. (Note: The book’s Publisher proceeds are donated to White Heart Foundation.)
h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
Sawtelle said the event had “amazing volunteers.”
“Dr. Stan Grove, Ashley Solan, and the auctioneer talent of Bryce Westlake were the reasons this was successful.”
Sawtelle added that the event should make a return in 2026.
“Next year, we are planning on a much larger event in Q4 – the planning has already begun. We are excited to build upon this next year.”
You can hear more about the White Heart Foundation from Sawtelle in his recent KOVE Coffee Time interview. You can also donate directly to the organization anytime, here.