H.O.W. to hold dinner on Sept. 20

Dinner starts at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge

The Porterville Helping One Woman (H.O.W.) chapter will hold a dinner at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at the Elks Lodge, 386 N. Main St. in Porterville.

The Porterville Helping One Woman (H.O.W.) chapter will hold a dinner at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20 at the Elks Lodge, 386 N. Main St. in Porterville.

The Porterville Chapter of H.O.W. honors a recipient each month whose name is drawn from nominations offered at the previous month’s dinner.

Recipients of H.O.W. are always a woman whose family is going through an irreplaceable loss, or a woman who has been through an irreplaceable loss in the past 12 months. An irreplaceable loss is defined as a catastrophic loss that cannot be recovered.

Dinner is $10 per person, cash preferred. Recipient gift is $10 minimum, cash or check only. H.O.W. attendees purchase their own meal and provide a $10 cash gift at each dinner. The monetary gift participants offer to each recipient is a wonderful supplement to help them during their time of loss. However, the overwhelming emotional and heartfelt support the organization gives its recipients is the energy behind the H.O.W. organization.

September’s recipient is Pamala “Gail” Head.

In 1981, Head married Randy, the love of her life. Together, they raised their two sons — Cody and Cory.

However, in 1987, Head, who was 29 at the time, started having unexplained systems of dizziness, bladder control and extreme pain for no reason. After four years of doctor visits and tests, Head was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was 33.

Raising two young boys became more difficult over the years as the disease progressed, but they were what kept Head going strong.

In 2007, Head lost her husband, Randy, to a massive heart attack. He was 45 years old.

Even while Head’s disease continues to progress, her strength and pride remain intact, never saying she needs help, let alone asking for it. Head taught her sons this same strength, the ability to always find the best in people and to trust in God and family.

“And you will never be alone,” she said.

“Join us as we remind Gail that she is not alone in her journey,” H.O.W. Porterville said in a written statement.

The organization envisions a world where everyone is willing to provide comfort and support to another person when they need hope restored in their life. The H.O.W. motto is, “One woman with $10 can buy another woman lunch. Ten women with $10 can buy another woman groceries. One hundred women with $10 can make a real difference in another woman’s life.”

RSVP by September 18 to howporterville@gmail.com or by calling or texting 202-3598. Tickets are available for prize drawings. For those who can’t make the dinner, but want to help can do so by mailing a gift payable to Head to H.O.W. Porterville, 729 N. Atwood St., in Visalia.

H.O.W. is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers and donations. To make a tax deductible donation, make checks payable to: Helping One Woman PO Box 3375, Pinedale.

If you would like to nominate someone for H.O.W., simply attend a H.O.W. dinner and complete the nomination form. The next month’s recipient will be selected that night.

For more information, send questions to howporterville@gmail.com or visit www. helpingonewoman.org.