The Highground Veterans Memorial Park to kick off $4 million capital campaign

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. (WEAU) -Looking to expand veteran services and facilities, The Highground Veterans Memorial Park in Neillsville is kicking off a 4-million dollar capital campaign this April.

Sitting on 450 acres, The Highground Veterans Memorial Park has been helping veterans heal for more than 35 years.

“And as it has developed over the years, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the very people that we need to serve, often time need better access to the facility than what we can offer them right now,” says Steve Maddox.

Veteran and volunteer board of director since 2001, Maddox says the parks expansion is long overdue.

“On average nationally we are losing 22 military veterans to suicide each day, that is totally unacceptable,” says Maddox. “These are people with post-traumatic stress, these are people that need a better way of coping with returning to civilian life and up to this point, we haven’t had the staffing or the expertise to really offer the type of help we’d like to give.”

The $4 million capital campaign would start with building a 12,000 square foot, welcome and visitors center, ensuring ADA compliant access for all disabled veterans and visitors.

“If we can do everything we’re planning on doing, we will be able to bring in professional help, we will have space, we will have a secure comfortable area for people that are troubled and need help can seek it,” Maddox says.

Without federal funding, Maddox is asking the community for help in better serving Wisconsin’s veterans.

He says they want to become a better known resource in the area.

“We’d like to get to the point where we are a household word, and when people think veteran they think Highground, and when they think Highground they think veteran,” says Maddox.

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