The Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company is currently raising funds to build a memorial on the grounds of the Marshalltown Iowa Veterans Home in a campaign that began on January 30. They were inspired by conversations with veterans about the lack of recognition for those who fought in World War II. Through these conversations with veterans, employees at Grinnell Mutual have realized that many veterans feel disturbed or left out by the absence of a World War II memorial.
About 500 veterans of four different wars live with their spouses on a campus of 150 acres. Iowa Veterans Home is one of the largest veteran homes in the country, and many feel it is time to represent one of the most influential populations of veterans.
Kami Holmes, a counsel in the legal department, has taken charge of the project and hopes to raise money for an inscribed granite memorial. The project comes from the Emerging Leaders section of Grinnell Mutual, and is accepting public donations to help with the $20,000 needed for the memorial.
As a government-funded establishment, the Iowa Veterans Home cannot conduct a fundraising campaign for the memorial, so it has fallen to Grinnell Mutual and the community to collect money for the memorial. They have collected about $3,800 already from unsolicited donations. Donors can contribute through the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.
Excess donations with go into a fund for the veterans home, where they will be able to decide how to spend the money. Grinnell Mutual has pledged to match Emerging Leaders after they reach $2,400. With these funds, they are about halfway to the target goal.
