Standing up and supporting Central Valley women veterans

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "I'm a 52-year-old veteran. I'm a single mom of an 11-year-old. I have a daughter that's in the Navy right now. She's 24," said a woman veteran in attendance at the 10th annual Central Valley Women's Stand-Up.

The free all-day event brought together 80 women veterans on Monday spanning all six branches of the military -- including Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves. The all-volunteer nonprofit was born out of a need for Valley veterans to seek support.

"I felt that there was no place local people could assist local veterans," said Deborah Riordan, Board Member with the Central Valley Veterans nonprofit.

According to Riordan, the issue with larger organizations with similar mindsets is centered around funding for more individualized services that do not always reach the local level.

"The money doesn't trickle down to where we need it," said Riordan.

The local organization provides over $9,000 a month toward direct needs.

"Anything you can think because the money that we raise comes from the community," said Riordan. "And so the only people that we have to answer to is our community members and make sure the money is directed where they've asked it to go."

Each veteran's status and income are verified through Veterans Affairs or a social worker.

"Like any of us, lots of people are going paycheck-to-paycheck, even if it looks like they really need anything, people get in dire straits," said Riordan.

There were nearly 20 vendors from across the Valley representing industries including employment, education, and mental health services offering a little bit of something for every woman.

"Right now we have about 3400 women within the VA Central California Healthcare System that we're serving," said Dr. Jeanette Rylander, a staff physician with the Women's Health Clinic.

"There are a lot of professional women here," said Susana Montes, an U.S. Air Force Veteran from Kingsburg. "They have a lot of resources; they want to share. They basically want to give away their knowledge to female veterans who need it."

Female veterans like Montes said they have experienced transformational help from Central Valley Veterans. Montes said she experienced homelessness and found shelter through assistance from the non-profit group.

"I grew to be less afraid to accept that help and accepting help is a big problem for veterans. Help can mean weakness and these programs teach us that help is the opposite," said Montes.

For more information, visit the Central Valley Veterans nonprofit website here.

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