METALCON Helping Las Vegas Area Veterans

The metal construction industry’s largest international event for metal construction products, technologies and solutions will giveback to the local community during its annual tradeshow and conference Oct. 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

METALCON said it partnered with the America’s Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans in all branchesof the military. The program was created to direct urgently needed resources and financial support to injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces along with their families, and is a self-funded program of the Semper Fi Fund (SFF).

Last year, METALCON raised $7,500 in Baltimore to provide intensive rehabilitative care to service members in the area. This year, METALCON’s giving back program continues to benefit the America’s Fund and will raise money for military veterans in need of adaptive home support services throughout the Las Vegas area.

U.S. Marine Corps’ Corporal Hector Delgado will serve as the SFF representative during the America’s Fund Check presentation ceremony, which is slated for Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m.  

Delgado was in the first wave of troops sent to Iraq and was severely injured in April 2003. He sustained injuries at Camp Viper, Iraq when a tank trailer from a convoy collapsed, trapping himself and two other Marines.
 
Delgado is a Veteran Lead with the SFF, which is based in Las Vegas, and assists returning service members with the reunion/reintegration process from combat and military trauma.

According to the SFF, wheelchair-bound service members and those with catastrophic injuries require adaptive housing, and handicap modifications are costly but necessary.  To ease the financial strain, the SFF provides funding toward the cost of service members’ homes, depending on the need.  It also grants assistance to those who have fallen behind on their housing payments due to injury, recovery and rehabilitation costs with the goal of helping wounded service members remain in their homes without the added financial burden of these extra costs.

“Semper Fi Fund is committed to being there for our wounded, injured and ill service members for not only their journey to recovery, but for a lifetime,” said Karen Guenther, president, Semper Fi Fund. 
 
To raise funds this year, METALCON is taking donations for Semper Fi wrist bands in addition to holding a raffle. The grand prize: A three-night Las Vegas travel package for two (valued at $2,500).
 
Additional contributions to America’s Fund can be made before, during and after the show or at The Deck, Booth 1849, in METALCON’s exhibit hall.