At the height of the pandemic, loneliness, separation from support, and a lack of a sense of purpose ran hit veterans especially hard. A group of Vietnam and Afghanistan veterans came together to combat this malaise. Help R Heroes was founded in 2021 to renew hope, strengthen self-worth, and nurture financial independence through artisanal design and manufacturing skill instruction in a safe, welcoming environment.
Founder Gary Scaife had already run charitable events that included crafting. He saw first-hand the pride that comes from creating a physical object, and that hand-crafted items can be sold to support a good cause.
The next piece of the puzzle was to help and encourage participants to move intro entrepreneurship. Our objective isn’t just to be a place for camaraderie or therapy. It’s to discover and nurture talent in applied arts the veteran community and encourage them into entrepreneurship and financial independence.
We work together with community partners like US Vets to support our veterans wherever they are.
Leadership
Gary Scaife
Founder2 Tour Vietnam Veteran, retired businessman
Brett Caldwell
Director & Operations Manager
Rick Rutherford
Board MemberA long-time business owner in Phoenix and Las Vegas. He has started UPS Stores and owns a Minuteman Press location in south Las Vegas. “I hope to help grow the ability to help our veterans through sales and marketing techniques learned through years of helping small businesses achieve their business goals.”
Kris Cesena
Board MemberKris Cesena and her husband started and ran a successful automotive business for 30 years, and then Kris took that experience to open a DIY Arts & Craft Studio here in Las Vegas. “I believe that art is therapy, and that’s why I opened my studio. I look forward to providing the creative juices and inspiration to help our vets come alive, and thrive.”
Asal “Vox” Gibson
Board MemberAsal is a highly experienced Cybersecurity Consultant with a strong background in leadership and management. She currently leads the cybersecurity program for the Clark County School District and teaches classes at UNLV. Ms. Gibson is a much-needed leader who helps oversee our management team and veteran training and support programs.
Documents
For full transparency, please see our important documents below.