With the Help of Her Faith, HOHCT and Liberty Bank Veteran Honoree Shalanda
Wright Learned to Overcome; Today She Helps Her Fellow Vets Do the Same
As a kid growing up in a single-parent New Haven household where substance abuse, domestic violence and fear were as common as the next bill to pay, U.S. Army combat Veteran Shalanda Wright learned to grow up fast.
“Sometimes I had to make sure me and my brother ate. I would ask our neighbors for food because we
didn’t have any,” Shalanda recalls. “And I would always make sure my brother ate before I did.”
Despite these difficult circumstances at such a tender age, Shalanda endured. Instead of allowing her
difficult circumstances and life events to define her, she chose to persevere and turn what had often
been a life of chaos into a life of service – first eight years in the Army and Army Reserve including
combat duty in Kuwait, and now today in her ongoing role as Veterans Pastor with WheatNTare
Ministries in Naugatuck, where she nurtures fellow Vets in need through Battle 2 Battle Ministries.
On October 12, 2024, House of Heroes Connecticut, with support from a team of volunteers from
Project Partner Liberty Bank, thanked Shalanda for her service past and present with a bevy of much-
needed no-cost home repairs including window replacement, front porch repairs, yard clean-up and the biggest project of all, a fully cleaned and freshly stained back deck. Liberty Bank even went above and beyond to honor and thank Shalanda, gifting her with a completely new patio table, chairs and umbrella.
“This kind of volunteer work, helping a Veteran like Shalanda, is just so rewarding,” says Cindy Olson,
Lending Systems Manager with Liberty Bank and a member of the bank’s Veterans and Military Council, which engages in multiple events and initiatives throughout the year in support of Veterans and active-duty military. “My father was a Veteran, my husband served in Honduras in the Army. So this is very near and dear to my heart and to so many of us with Liberty Bank.”
When Shalanda was in high school she saw the military as a possible path to achieving the education she knew her family could not afford. She served three years active duty and another five years in the
Reserve, including 11 months in Kuwait, from 2001-2009. While in Kuwait she survived a major accident when the vehicle she was traveling in with fellow soldiers crashed, flipping multiple times. Though she miraculously did not sustain major physical injuries, she has struggled with PTSD, and depression, related to that and other combat-zone experiences.
Shalanda did manage, post-military, to take advantage of the education her military service was able to
offer. She ultimately earned three degrees from the University of New Haven, including bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in criminal justice and another master’s degree in business, and worked for years for
both the VA in West Haven and the U.S. Postal Service in Wallingford. She is even a published author.
Though Shalanda was succeeding on the surface, she still struggled to readjust to civilian life. These
continued struggles inspired her to seek a new path working on behalf of her fellow Vets. “When I came
home it was a struggle,” says Shalanda. “It’s like you are forgotten, you’re not important anymore.”
A woman of faith, Shalanda discovered WheatNTare Ministries in Naugatuck and struck up a friendship
with Apostle Trina Lucky, Senior Pastor.
“One of the things that Shalanda talked to me about was her PTSD, her depression, and her difficulties
readjusting. I remember asking her, did you ask the Lord to heal you of these things? And that began our journey,” says Pastor Lucky.
“We had long hours of conversations. We talked about the help she wanted to provide for her fellow
Vets. And that is where Battle 2 Battle Ministries was born.”
Battle 2 Battle Ministries has transformed Shalanda’s life and the lives of her fellow Vets. Battle 2 Battle
has provided care packages to active-duty military overseas, a program that Shalanda hopes to expand. The ministry has conducted programs to honor local veterans for their service, and Shalanda holds a weekly, live prayer service via social media that has been a source of strength for countless Vets. “Shalanda is so passionate about Battle 2 Battle. Every time she talks about it she lights up,” says Pastor Lucky. “She wants to make sure that Veterans coming behind her will not fall into the same emotional and spiritual pitfalls that she had fallen into.”
“It has helped me because I'm helping my fellow Vets. I suffered in silence for so long, and I felt like I
didn't have an outlet,” says Shalanda. “I want Veterans to know that whatever they struggle with, they
are not alone. There is someone that they could talk to.”
And now, just as Shalanda is helping her fellow Veterans, House of Heroes – with a major assist from its
friends with Liberty Bank – has returned the favor, helping Shalanda in her time of need.
“This is so empowering,” says Pastor Lucky. “I always say God is intentional, God does not forget, God
knows exactly what Shalanda needs. And House of Heroes arrived.”
“This help has been phenomenal and I am beyond grateful,” says Shalanda. “You have helped me with
things that I did not have the capacity to do, and I am honored I was chosen to receive this assistance.”
(Shalanda Wright was the 249th Veteran to receive assistance from House of Heroes Connecticut since
the organization’s founding in 2012. Liberty Bank is in its third year as a House of Heroes Connecticut
Project Partner and has worked with the organization to assist five Veterans in need – and counting.)
Comments