Stack Up, the 501(c)3 military charity dedicated to supporting US and Allied Veterans’ mental health through gaming and working to end the epidemic of veteran suicide, today announces the opening of PHALANX House, a community center to support veterans and host events in conjunction with Los Angeles County Veteran Mental Health services.
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PHALANX House serves as a place for Stack Up to provide veterans a destination to continue providing the therapeutic benefits of gaming and the community around it. The house will be used as a bespoke community center as a part of Los Angeles’ Veterans Peer Access Network (VPAN) to provide a weekly schedule of events for the 300,000 registered veterans across Los Angeles.
Located in Van Nuys, the PHALANX House features a 10-station LAN center, extensive home theater with massage chairs, stations for multiplayer virtual reality sessions, a board gaming and Dungeons and Dragons annex, a pool with jacuzzi, a military “smoke pit,” and more. The house is built to comfortably accommodate eight veterans for a long weekend of fun, as well as being Americans with Disabilities Act compliant for wheelchairs.
Stack Up wouldn’t exist without the continued contributions of its community that provides cash and in-kind donations. Stack Up achieved new fundraising highs of $1,204,343 in 2021, the charity’s first time breaking the $1 million mark in cash donations and crossing the seven-figure milestone.
However, PHALANX House wouldn’t exist without a generous contribution from Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR and founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries. PHALANX House, all totaled, was a nearly two million dollar investment, including every gaming controller and pillowcase on the inside. All of it was donated to Stack Up by Palmer Luckey.
“I have been supporting Captain Machuga’s work for many years. The work he has been doing with veterans through Stack Up is the best yet, and I am thrilled to help them take things to the next level by funding the PHALANX House project”, said Palmer.
Stack Up is going to provide an excellent opportunity for the growing network of veteran peer support in LA County with a great option to connect their veterans to an opportunity to connect with each other through gaming,” said James Zenner, Army veteran, and mental health program manager for Los Angeles County’s Veteran Peer Access Network.
Other Stack Up programs include Supply Crates, video game care packages containing games, systems, and accessories, and the award-winning Overwatch Program, which provides round-the-clock mental health support from trained crisis management volunteers for those who deal with PTSD depression, and emotional distress free of charge.
To learn more about Stack Up, please visit their website. To donate directly to Stack Up, please visit Stack Up’s Donation page.
