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Kenmare veterans club donates $145,500 to Veterans Home

Each quarter Vets Gaming in Kenmare provides donations to non-profit organization, but this past quarter, the group went above and beyond its normal routine.

3/08/17 (Wed)

Helping the Vets Home . . . Several residents and staff of the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon got together with Casey Bennett of Kenmare Vets Gaming after Bennett presented a large donation of $145,500. From left, Allen Polsfut, Alfred Steiger, Casey Bennett, Jann Neameyer, the director of Social Services and Activities, and Roger Roles.

By Marvin Baker

Each quarter Vets Gaming in Kenmare provides donations to non-profit organization, but this past quarter, the group went above and beyond its normal routine.

It was announced that Vets Gaming donated $145,500 to the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, one of its largest donations to date.

“They were very appreciative, we had a nice ceremony,” said Casey Bennett, a Navy veteran from Kenmare who presented the donation. “They were very appreciative. They’re building a shop for crafts and their calling it “Gomer Pyle’s Shop.”

Stan Freeman, also of Vets Gaming, said his organization has donated to the Veterans Home before but not to this magnitude.

Bennett added a lot was building up in the fund and they were looking for veterans organizations to assist.

“When I talked to them, they said there were some funding cuts so they could use the income,” Bennett said. “For a smaller community, it’s good we can do this.”

Susie Schlecht, the marketing coordinator for the Veterans Home, said everyone in Lisbon is continually grateful for the generous donation that was made by Kenmare Vets Gaming.

“The Kenmare Veterans Gaming Association made a generous donation to the North Dakota Veterans Home which has made and will continue to make a lasting impact on the campus,” Schlecht said. “Most recently we installed stain glass overlay to the windows in the chapel, which was a resident-driven request and we were able to purchase larger televisions for the skilled care households.”

She added, “Other items that will be funded include equipment for our skilled care including speciality mattresses and lifts, lettering for the Veterans Home bus, updates for the resident courtyards and a display case and tools for the workshop which is opening July 1.”

She concluded, “Veterans from all over the state of North Dakota have made their home at the Veterans Home in Lisbon and they will all benefit from this generous donation. Thank you Kenmare Veterans Gaming Association.”

Mark Johnson, the administrator of the Veterans Home, was equally as thankful.

“On behalf of the residents at the North Dakota Veterans Home, I would like to express our appreciation for your donation,” he said. “We take pride in the appearance and upkeep of the Veterans Home and appreciate your efforts in helping to beautify our grounds. It is through the generosity of caring individuals and organizations that we are able to make our home a better place for our veterans to live.”

According to Freeman, donations are also made to local non-profits from kids camps to training to Pioneer Village the airport, the ambulance and more.

He said if you think about it as things to help the community, it might fall into the donation category. See full list of donations last quarter.

But, Vets Gaming has also assisted other organizations that support service members/veterans within the state of North Dakota and throughout the United States.

As an example, Military Muscle Inc., is an organization that travels to or near military installations providing events to boost morale, motivate, inspire and support veterans and their families in the continued fight against post traumatic stress disorder and suicide.

Service Dogs for America, which is located in Jud, just south of Jamestown, and works in conjunction with the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, has received support. Their mission is to train and certify service dogs for individuals with disabilities.

Impact Support our Veterans Fund was established to provide resources for emergency needs of North Dakota Veterans and their eligible dependents.

In a statement, Vets Gaming said, “Each of these organizations’ funds go directly to impact the service members/veterans with little to no administrative costs. Hundreds of veterans will benefit from the generosity of the Board of Directors of the Veterans Club Inc., of Kenmare.” ... Read EVERY WORD on EVERY PAGE of The Kenmare News by subscribing--online or in print!