MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Entrepreneur, author, and Civilian Aid to the Secretary of the Army, Frank Vitale has now been selected to serve as the president of the West Virginia National Guard Foundation.
Vitale is the president and CEO of Forge Business Solutions in Morgantown and a graduate of the Valley Forge Military Academy and has served in the U.S. Army and West Virginia National Guard for 17 years, reaching the rank of captain.
The primary mission of the WVNGF is to be a link to resources for families of deployed soldiers when things go wrong on back home. The foundation supports scholarships, learning opportunities, and Gold Star families, including the annual Gold Star family retreat at Camp Dawson scheduled this year from Sept. 25-28.
“We provide relief and emergency assistance to guard members and their families, we support Gold Star families, and we preserve the history of the West Virginia National Guard, which goes back to the Bee Line March,” Vitale said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
Vitale wants to refocus guard members and the public on what the WVNGF does to help soldiers and how businesses or others outside the military can help their organization. Families can find themselves alone and not sure where to turn when the washer breaks, the car needs to be repaired, or there’s a serious illness, and the foundation is there to provide relief.
“To start meeting the needs of those families,” Vitale said. “They have developed and evolved over the years, and now they support the Gold Star Family Retreat at Camp Dawson every year and a variety of other educational scholarships and other opportunities.”
Members of the public will begin to see a more forward-facing foundation in the future. Efforts are underway to develop a website and engage with current and former military members, families, and the public via their social media presence.
“We want to really start to put the foundation out into the forefront so that other West Virginians know what we’re doing,” Vitale said. “But most importantly, we want our soldiers and families to know where to come for resources.”
The foundation will also increase efforts to gain partners in communities across the state. Partners could help provide resources or expertise to the foundation in their support to help guard members and their families.
“We’re going to be looking for partners, so if you’re a business or an interested person who likes to help support veterans and their families, we have an opportunity for you,” Vitale said.
Vitale said the Gold Star Family Retreat at the end of September is an opportunity for families who have lost a loved one in action to meet and get to know each other. The theme of the event is “Honor and Remember.”
“They have programs, and they have entertainment,” Vitale said. “Most importantly, they get together and share stories about their loved ones and help one another heal.”