Home to veterans sought for area
July 4th has a natural link for support
It will be a busy weekend for the organizers with West Tennessee Veterans Home Inc., as they crisscross three counties hoping to hit as many Independence Day celebrations as possible.
The goal — to raise awareness and funds for a 144-bed home for MidSouth veterans.
“We’re trying to hit all of the Fourth of July celebrations because the Fourth of July is the country’s birthday and the country is what it is because of the military,” said Kathy Desjarlais, vice commander Tipton County Veterans Council. “It’s not that people feel more generous. It’s if you’re trying to do something patriotic, it goes hand in hand with Independence Day.
The holiday makes the perfect backdrop to highlight the need for a home to serve Shelby, Tipton and Fayette County veterans, said Holly Swogger, president and board chairman of the group.
“In my opinion we wouldn’t be having Independence Day if we didn’t have people who were willing to go to war to defend our freedom and our Constitution,” Swogger said.
The group must raise $23 million toward the $60 million construction cost and the first year of operation.
There has been progress and the veterans home has been added to the list of United Way of the MidSouth recipients, Swogger said.
And she’s also trained more volunteers who are capable of meeting with veterans organizations, civic groups and staffing events to explain why the need is so great.
There are 74,795 veterans living in the three area
counties, with more than 64,000 in Shelby County, including 10,000 over age 75.
There are veterans homes in Humboldt, Knoxville and Murfreesboro and a fourth planned for Clarksville. About 12 percent of the admissions for the homes are from Shelby County, according to the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.
Shelby County has committed to $2 million for the home and Swogger is hoping other local governments will also contribute.
U. S. Rep. Steve Cohen supports the effort, but said local groups have always been required to raise a percentage of the money for a veterans home and that formula isn’t like- ly to change.
“Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find an area where you can put money into the budget,” Cohen said. “We’re cutting money to health, we’re cutting money to public education, we’re cutting money to so many essential areas — law enforcement — that it’s harder to advocate for or to give new funding to another area.”
Meanwhile, Swogger is confident that as the group’s volunteers continue to meet more people, someone will come through in a big way.
“One of them is going to have a connection to somebody who’s going to want to give us another 25 acres of land or $100,000 or $500,000 or a million dollars,” Swogger said.
“It’s going to happen. I just know it’s going to happen.”