Wild Staffer Camps Out Again to Honor Local Veterans

Today, David Rayfield is setting up camp at Town Toyota Center. He’ll sleep on the arena’s balcony until he’s sold 1,000 tickets to the Wenatchee Wild’s Military Appreciation Night game. It’s his seventh campout in a row.

Rayfield, the Wild’s Senior Sales & Operations Coordinator, has already spent more than 22 days up there over six years. He can head inside for the restroom, but otherwise he stays out in whatever weather arrives. Last year he tied the record for the quickest finish, hitting his goal on the third afternoon.

The target has grown over time. It started at 500 tickets in 2019-20, rose to 750 in February 2022, and has held at 1,000 for five years.

Where Your Money Goes

Tickets bought during the campout start at $20 in the Wild Zone, Blue Zone, and General Admission. From every ticket, $4 is split between the Wenatchee Valley Veterans Hall and the Thomas A. Biddle Foundation. The campout has raised more than $24,000 in six years, and Rayfield expects to approach $30,000 after this one.

Dennis Brouwers of the Biddle Foundation says the money goes a long way. Over the past year, the foundation gave Camp Corral $10,000 to send children who’ve lost a veteran parent, and injured and disabled veterans, to camp. “David has been a great friend to our foundation,” Brouwers said.

How You Can Help

Many donors buy tickets and give them to local veterans and their families, so they can come to the game for free. Rayfield also invites any veteran who’d like to bring family to a future Wild game to contact him directly. The seats cost nothing.

Military Appreciation Night is Saturday, November 7, against the Everett Silvertips. The campout falls in the middle of a nine-game homestand, which includes Kamloops on Sunday, October 25.

To buy tickets, call Rayfield at 509-888-7825 or visit wenatcheewildhockey.com and use the Military Appreciation link under the Tickets tab. If you’ve ever wanted a simple way to say thank you to a veteran, this is one that puts them in a seat at the game.