An organization that provides services to area veterans may or may not be in the midst of a “major” fundraising campaign.
A 6×2-foot “thermometer” poster dons a vertical glass pane at the gymnasium entrance of the former Winnebago school.
The poster has been on display since November and shows that the goal is to raise $10 million. However, it does not indicate if any money has been raised thus far.
The building is the site of the Veterans Resource Center & Academy (VRCA), which is operated by Veterans Enterprises Inc. based in Madelia.
In April 2020, the city of Winnebago sold the school building to Veterans Enterprises for $61,000 to provide transitional housing, educational training and health care services for former service members.
At that time, Garth Carlson, Luke Weinandt and Jack Zimmerman told City Council members that the facility would also be available for the public to use.
According to VRCA’s website, Carlson is listed as one of the five founding fathers, along with Lynn Marvin Johnson, Randy Olson, Ted Harrison and Mike Tamin.
Carlson and Olson did not respond to email requests for comment.