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Vance Gooch US Navy Previous Next

The Fern 45 is a non-profit organization that holds an annual off-road poker run to raise money for the Nevada Veteran's Coalition and other Veterans programs. Video provided by Photoflight Productions, LLC - Official Media of The Fern 45 CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE REGISTRATION OPEN Wait..I'm New! SIGN ME UP! VIP Closes Oct 1 ALL ONLINE SALES Close Nov 1 ALL PERSONS ON COURSE MUST HAVE WRISTBAND BASIC INFO I want all the info Location Reno-Fernley Raceway Park (1965 S Hwy 95A, Fernley, NV 89408) What is it? The Fern 45 is what happens when you mix off-roading, camping, live entertainment, fundraising, and a whole lot of people who refuse to have a boring weekend and love to support veterans! The "45" is because our very first poker run course was 45 miles long! All sorts of vehicles are welcome - dirtbikes, ATVs, SxS, Jeeps & more! Pricing It's FREE to come check out the venue , enjoy the vendors and live music. Pricing for the Poker Run course and other events during the weekend vary - check out our registration page for all that info. Where does all the money raised go? Our tagline is "FOR OUR VETS " and that's exactly where it goes. We present a check to the crowd at the end of the weekend with the amount of money raised in those three days (last year we presented a check of $120,000) to our veterans. That money is then distributed to various other non-profits supporting our veterans. We make it a point to physically bring the check to those non-profits and hang out for a a bit during our most favorite day of the year (the day we give the money away!) Check out our donations page for more info! I am a Veteran, do you have any resources for me? Absolutely! We have our Donate to Heartbeats program. This is a program initiated in 2023 to directly help veterans with essential needs of living (mortgages, rent, groceries, medical bills, etc.) Plus, we have very close relationships with local resources if we cannot help you out and can typically get you in touch with someone within the week to get an answer! SPONSORSHIPS NOW OPEN SPONSORSHIPS NOW OPEN SPONSORSHIPS NOW OPEN SPONSORSHIPS NOW OPEN Sponsorship Form Download Sponsorship Proposal PDF 2026 SPONSORSHIPS NOW OPEN Thinking about sponsoring an event? The Fern 45 is a perfect one to sponsor! 100% of what we make goes towards our veterans. Your sponsorship helps us lower the cost of our event and make that check at the end bigger. The Donate to Heartbeats initiative provides vital support to local veterans through critical home repairs, safety enhancements, and health-related improvements that ensure a safe and livable environment. We also offer financial assistance for essential living expenses, helping veterans maintain stability and dignity as they navigate life after service. Our Donate to Heartbeats Grant is open! If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who could use some help - please click the link below or share it! We will reach out asap to gather information needed Please allow up to 4 weeks for approval (Emergency situations may be approved sooner) Grant Coordinator - Connie 1-530-908-3052 grants@thefern45.com Grant Application FAQ As you can imagine, we get a lot of questions! Check out the FAQ page and your questions just might already be answered! GO TO FAQ PAGE The sole purpose of our non-profit organization is to raise money each year for the Nevada Veteran's Coalition and other veteran's programs. We provide an opportunity for our community to celebrate their loved veterans, past and present, while also getting to experience our beautiful Nevada backyard. RAISING MONEY FOR OUR VETERANS SINCE 2015 LEARN MORE

Charles Davis Born 1 day before Armistice Day (WW 1), his German American mother said the Germans gave up when they heard he was born in the USA. Enlisting with the Army Air Corp 10 December 1941 he earned his wings flying Waco CG 4 gliders- first on D-Day landing in St. Mare Eglise 4 hours before H-Hour (82nd Airborne) and later to Holland (“Market Garden”, 101st Airborne), then Bastogne. Promoted to 1st Lt., he attained another goal when he flew B-25’s. After the war he signed on as a Reserve and when the USAF came into its own he went to the fledgling Radar community, serving in Germany, Spain, throughout the US and a 2 year stint in Thule, Greenland. Retiring after 23 years as a Lt.Col. at Stead AFB with READS (Reno Air Defense Sector-DEW Line) he continued to serve the people as the 1st Hearings Officer for Insurance/Drivers License Revocation hearings with NV DMV. He is buried in the Veterans Section in the cemetery at Carson City, having flown to Heaven May 1994. Previous Next

Erin Maynard US Army, Maynard service third generation. Previous Next

Check out where our donations go! Our board is 100% volunteer, we have zero paid employees. MISSION STATEMENT The sole purpose of our non-profit organization is to raise money each year for the Nevada Veteran's Coalition and other veteran's programs. We provide an opportunity for our community to celebrate their loved veterans, past and present, while also getting to experience our beautiful Nevada backyard. View Annual Donations View Year-Round Donations View Donate to Heartbeats Donations 2025 END OF YEAR Donations Raised Nov 6-8 2025 100% of this money goes to our Veterans. These funds were all dispersed, in person to each and every one of these wonderful 501c3 Non-Profit organizations that support our veterans. Veterans Guest House : $37,500 Northern Nevada State Veterans Home: $20,000 Honor Flight Nevada: $30,000 Nevada Veterans Coalition: $10,000 American Legion Post 37: $5,000 Reins of Hope: $5,000 Legacy Air Base: $10,000 Nevadans 4 Vets: $20,000 NV Woodchucks: $2500 As a reminder, all of our crew and board members are 100% volunteer-based! Feel free to email us with any questions The Fern 45 Poker Run Annual Donations from our Poker Run 2023 $75,000 $15,050 – Northern Nevada State Veterans Home $10,050 – Veterans Guest House $10,000 – Nevada Veterans Coalition $15,000 - Honor Flight Nevada - $25,000 – Donate to Heartbeats #itsaveteransthing On behalf of our veterans and the entire Fern 45 Crew, we are proud to announce that you guys have helped us raise $75,100!! We would like extend our heartfelt gratitude for the generous support of all of our sponsors and participants! Your dedication to improving the lives of those who have served our nation is truly awe-inspiring! If you are a veteran yourself and need support or if you know a Veteran who needs support, please contact us and we will do everything we can to get you the support you need! Your commitment to making a difference in the lives of our veterans is both admirable and impactful, we hope you realize this. Your contribution will DIRECTLY enhance the quality of life for those who have selflessly served our country. Once again, thank you for standing with us in support of our veterans. Your generosity is making a lasting and positive difference in the veteran community and we would not be able to do what we do, without you guys! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! 2022 $35,050 Nevada Veterans Coalition, Northern Nevada Veterans State Home & Veterans Guest House Wow. There are no words for how grateful we are to those who donated. We blew last year out of the water and our hearts could not be any bigger! We were able to donate to three different Veteran organizations. $5,050 went to the Veterans Guest House. $15,000 went to the Northern Nevada Veterans State Home and $15,000 went to the Nevada Veterans Coalition! Thank you to everyone who helped out and made this year the best ever! We have BIG plans for next year and are beginning the preparations already. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! 2021 $21,000 Nevada Veterans Coalition This year was, by far, our biggest year yet! We introduced new vendor booth options and that was a success (with new changes to 2022 coming!) We have plans to donate to more Veterans organizations throughout the year. We have already began meetings and changes for 2022 and look forward to making this event run smoothly and successfully! 2020 $5,000 Nevada Veterans Coalition Unfortunately we all know what happened with this years event. However, we did sell some sweatshirts and fundraise enough to donate $5,000 to the NVC. We are excited for what 2021 brings! 2019 $15,500 Nevada Veterans Coalition We hope our appreciation for all who have donated their time and efforts does not go unnoticed. We are planning to be able to raise enough money next year to help Veteran's in need year-round. All of our donation this year will go to the NVC so they can continue to support our Nevada Veterans. 2018 $20,000 Nevada Veterans Coalition & TMCC Veterans Upward Bound We want to thank ALL of our donation and sponsors this year. The efforts of all of our donations/sponsors is what makes this possible. The Veterans Upward Bound Program is a free educational program for qualified, honorably discharged veterans who need support in preparing for success in their post-secondary education and training. 2017 $10,000 Nevada Veterans Coalition WOW. We are incredibly grateful to be able to raise more and more money for our Veterans who have given their time and lives in order for us to be able to do this. Our donation is given to the NVC so they can continue to support the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery and other Veteran's programs throughout the year. 2016 $7,500 Nevada Veterans Coalition Our event has grown! We have now started something we cannot stop! We are officially going to make this an Annual event! The monies donated to Nevada Veteran's Coalition will be used to ensure there is a wreath placed on each grave-site at the Northern Nevada Veteran's Memorial Cemetery. 2015 $1,200 and a New Laptop Nevada Veterans Coalition We were expecting 40 close friends and family to participate in raising money for the Veteran's...and just by word of mouth, around 100 people showed up to support and ride trails in our Nevada Backyard. We were pleasantly surprised to see how many people were willing to donate their time and money to help support our Veterans. Annual The Fern 45 Year-Round Donations as an organization 2023 Donations Available upon request - will be updated on site soon! Year Round July 2023 Veterans Guest House Residents $500 Veterans Guest House put out a story on the local news that they were in need of some food items for their kitchen. Including Canned Chili, Canned Fruits, Spam, Chips and Vienna Sausages. A couple of our board members headed to Wal-Mart and Costco and made it happen! * Costco bags not pictured* May 2023 Veterans Guest House $7,000 This Poker Tourney was somewhat of a last minute gig and we ended up raising $7,000 for the Veterans Guest House! July 2023 Local Homeless Veteran $650 We were made aware that a homeless Veteran was staying in a U-Haul in Fernley until their benefits kicked in 2 weeks later. Unfortunately U-Haul found out and wasn't allowing that anymore, thus making them homeless. We paid for a 2 week extended stay and provided $250 worth of grocery and food gift cards for him and his wife. March 2021 Local Fernley Veteran $1,200 We received news that a Veteran needed some help with their rent before their benefits kicked in the following month. We contacted their rental company and paid their next months rent! June 2018 Local Fernley Veteran New Refrigerator News got to us that a local Fernley Veteran was in desperate need of a fridge. We called up Lowes to see what they had - they gave us a brand new one for $700! June 2023 Army Infantry Veteran New Roof Kelly (our President) met this Veteran in Denio and heard his story. Unfortunately he is dealing with some PTSD due to his time serving our Country. His wife had mentioned that they were in need of a roof on their single wide after the harsh winter. We got to it - called up Troy Whitehead LLC ( a local Fernley company ) and they were on top of it - traveled all the way up there and got it installed in no time. May 2022 Nevada Veterans Coalition $10,775 The Golf Club at Fernley and PTM Management were an amazing host to us for our 1st Annual Poker Run! It was a very successful first year- our donation went to the Nevada Veterans Coalition and we are looking forward to doing it again soon! March 2022 SAVE Protect Foundation $500 Our charitable organization helps struggling disabled veterans and their families and, now, the self-quarantined. SUPPORT THEM! Your contribution will enable us to continue operations, so we can help disabled veterans and their families. We are very grateful for your generosity. Donate to Heartbeats

Charles W. "Bill" Duff United States Navy Previous Next

The Donate to Heartbeats initiative provides vital support to local veterans through critical home repairs, safety enhancements, and health-related improvements that ensure a safe and livable environment. We also offer financial assistance for essential living expenses, helping veterans maintain stability and dignity as they navigate life after service. The Donate to Heartbeats initiative provides vital support to local veterans through critical home repairs, safety enhancements, and health-related improvements that ensure a safe and livable environment. We also offer financial assistance for essential living expenses, helping veterans maintain stability and dignity as they navigate life after service If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who could use some help - please click the link below or share it! We will reach out asap to gather information needed asap Please allow up to 4 weeks for approval (Emergency situations may be reviewed sooner) Grant Coordinator - Connie 1-530-908-3052 grants@thefern45.com What is needed? Please email grants@thefern45.com the following documents to your application (even if you have requested assistance before) - Drivers License - 2 Months MOST Recent Bank Statements - Proof of military service (e.g., DD214, Veteran ID, VA Benefit Summary Letter) - Mortgage/Rent Statement (if requesting assistance with these ) * Please note, If we do not receive proof of veteran status or requested documentation, your application will be automatically denied. Failure to submit the required documents will result in the automatic denial of your grant application. Don't have your DD214? Log in to your VA.gov profile and locate it in your profile. If you do not have a profile or do not know how to access it, please call 702-791-9000 and they will walk you through the process of obtaining your DD214 online. Grant Application

John Helton Previous Next

Justin Kurdupski Marines Served 2 Tours, Desert Storm and Somalia Previous Next

Walter Lewis Jr. Birth Date: 10-3-1948 Retired Navy BMCM 1965-1992 Previous Next