WASHINGTON – Pentagon FCU’s PenFed Foundation was expected to raise $500,000 during last night’s annual Night of Heroes Gala to fund a variety of projects benefitting military veterans.
Among them is Defenders Lodge, a state-of-the-art hotel for veterans seeking medical care and undergoing treatment. The PenFed Foundation is the sole fundraiser for the $12.5 million project.
The facility, which will replace the existing Hometel in Palo Alto, Calif., will serve over 10,000 needy patients annually. Thousands of veterans travel from all over the West Coast and Pacific Rim to the VA Palo Alto Hospital for treatment and the new Defenders Lodge will provide a free and comfortable place for them to stay.
Last night’s annual gala, which brought together more than 500 congressional, defense, intelligence, and corporate leaders to pay tribute to America’s veterans, featured former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden. Wounded patients from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda as well as residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home were also in attendance.
