KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- KC Strong donations were released on Thursday, June 27 while one of the receiving organizations hosted a wiffle ball fundraiser. The Battle Within is designed to help first responders and veterans improve their mental health. “It is a program to really help people come together and understand the trauma they’ve endured in service to us all,” said executive director Justin Hoover. Hoover told Fox4 that in the aftermath of the Chief’s rally shooting, they’ve “seen an uptick in our first responders coming to us for help.” More than 800 uniformed officers were on hand at the rally, and Hoover said that it was just one example of what they deal with daily. The funding from KC Strong will help the foundation answer the call when any of those 800 people call. “Having that funding to scale with the need we know is coming,” said Hoover.  “It’s crucial and we’re thankful for the Kansas City community for making that happen.” The Battle Within has helped more than 400 veterans and first responders since 2018. One of them is Cameron Fast. “I was very angry upset had seen a lot of things that really have an effect on your mental health,” said Fast. Fast has been a correctional officer for 23 years and started by doing their 5-day program called “The Revenant Journey”. He said it took him 20 years to reach out for help. “I don’t want to be that guy; I need to make some changes and the battle within helped me make them," he said. Fast said that he got his smile back after the program. He learned “how to work around coworkers and be that positive influence that you wanted to be in your career.” More than anything, he learned that it’s okay to ask for help. “It’s okay to not be okay and you don’t have to be the iron man 24/7 and learning the skills to go home and have an amazing home life is such an amazing change for me,” said Fast.