The Highground raises funds with its 15th annual Honor Ride
NEILLSVILLE — In a day that many spent in leisure, The Highground was one of several organizations that put the focus back on Veterans this past Memorial Day.
'The Highground's actually been around since the early '80s and it started out as a memorial park,' explained Liz Hamilton, who said her role was mainly in marketing and social media for The Highground but that she wore many hats including as an event photographer.
'It was started by a Vietnam veteran, and it was just started as a way to honor and remember the sacrifices that our Veterans made through all wars — so we started with World War I, then a World War II tribute and we have a Korean War tribute [as well as] a national Native American tribute is on site and Gold Star tribute.'
Other memorials are on site, including the Dove Effigy mound, a 'living memorial' to pay homage to those who were prisoners of war or went missing in action. The mound contains soil from all counties in Wisconsin as well as hundreds of other locations throughout the country.
With the expansions it has received throughout the years, Hamilton said that The Highground is now the second largest Veterans park in the United States, behind the memorial parks in Washington, D.C. The scale certainly impresses, but The Highground goes beyond memorials in providing programs and support for Veterans in the area.
These efforts come in the form of education, such as with their Vets & Guitars program. They also come in the form of various retreats and other programs that help Veterans deal with what has been labeled as 'unseen wounds,' including post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hamilton noted that Veterans also deal with a disproportionately high rate of homelessness as she described efforts by The Highground to assist those who have found themselves unhoused.
'We work with a company out of [The Twin Cities] and we also work with some local communities like the Wisconsin Veterans' Home in Chippewa Falls,' explained Hamilton, 'And we do what we call a winter clothing drive that actually goes through March or April. We take those donations wherever we hear that there's a need for that.'
Other assistance comes in the form of its Community and Military Outreach, or CAMO program that offers a variety of workshops to the community and specifically to Veterans.
'We kicked it off this year …[CAMO] had a financial workshop where people could come and get financial advice; we did a mental health expo too. We have a couple of other things that are planned for this year,' she said.
A significant amount of what is provided, however, requires financial support; this has led to numerous fundraising initiatives in the form of rides throughout the year. These include the Memorial Day Honor Ride that took place last Monday, the fifteenth year the event has taken place. The event started in 2010 as The Highground Fun Run with bikers taking a trip from Hudson to The Highground, and has from that point. The event now makes thousands of dollars to assist The Highground with its programming, with hundreds of riders participating. There are now several independently-organized routes led by experienced ride leaders, with each path taking riders on scenic routes throughout the area. Riders at the end take a ride throughout Neillsville together, in honor of those who fought for their country but never made it home.
It is one of many rides to help raise funds for The Highground that happen throughout the year, with the rides going back decades in some cases.
'We also have The Heroes' Ride [in August], which is our bicycle tour; that is actually the longest and largest fundraiser at The Highground. It was started by a bunch of wonderful volunteers and it's in its 41st year; it's a multi-route ride like the Honor Ride,' said Hamilton. 'Then we have the Ride to Remember, which is specifically honoring the MIAs and the KIAs (missing in action/killed in action); that one is in its 25th year.'
Hamilton said that she couldn't help but find the emotional significance of the rides powerful. As the photographer for many of the events, she has seen the solidarity of the Veteran community as they come together for a common cause.
'To be involved in those, it's inspiring and a little emotional because of the fact that there are so many Veterans out there that are willing to help each other. Most of these rides are led by volunteers, so our route leaders — they start early and they volunteer their time on the side and they do this solely to give back to the Veteran community and The Highground,' she said. 'It's a pretty amazing place and a pretty amazing thing to be involved in.'
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