Doris Kent

When Doris Kent lost her son in Iraq in 2004, she made it her mission to take care of the buddies of those that have made it home safely.
Honoring and taking care of all veterans young and old is a high priority for Kent. She has volunteered her time to become a Veterans Service Officer and started the Veterans Navigator program, Veterans helping Veterans, in April 2011. The program helped veterans and their surviving spouses fill out paperwork to apply for benefits, find travel to appointments, access medical, veterans housing (VASH), counseling, food, and clothing. Kent’s organization’s first weekly volunteer time was at the Drop-In Center, helping the many homeless vets in Bellingham.
The Veteran Navigators assist veterans of all ages and circumstances. In addition to helping them access benefits that they are entitled to, Kent aids in the important task of bringing awareness to the many needs in the community. With Kent’s help, federal funds that have been set aside for homeless vets are funneled into worthwhile programs to create housing for them.
Kent is entirely committed to helping veterans. She volunteers two days a week at the Veterans Affairs center filling out applications. She can be found there late in the evening putting the final touches on applications to help provide benefits, and life changing moments for countless veterans. Kent has endless energy and a passion for helping vets. She sees it as her way of honoring her son and the many that were unable to make it home.