July 4th run rakes in big bucks for local vets

By Brandi Makuski

Tim Peltier was grinning ear-to-ear.

“We’ve never raised this much money before,” said Peltier, who works for CN by day but spends a good portion of his year organizing the annual Running of the Flag 5K. The run/walk, which celebrated its fourth year on July 4, 2018, brought in a record $6,500 for local veterans.

The 5K is always held in the early morning hours of July 4, Peltier said, because it’s the best day to ignite patriotism and honor veterans, both fallen and living.

“It’s just a gratitude you have for the veterans; without them, we wouldn’t have our freedom…who knows where we’d be without them and their sacrifices,” Peltier said.

Last year, the organization brought in about $4,500 for the Portage Co. Veterans Relief Fund, a service mandated by state law for veterans, and their dependents, meeting certain qualifications of financial need.

Portage Co. Veteran Services Officer Mike Clements said the money can’t be used for anything else.

“Last year I spent a record $17,000 on veterans relief, so this will go a long way to helping veterans through their financial crisis,” Clements said, adding his office receives $4,000 from the county’s annual tax levy.

Historically, Clements’ office spent about $4,500 a year on veterans relief, he said.

“But that changed about three years ago when we started Guns N’ Hoses, and we were able to increase that fund,” he said.

The annual Guns N’ Hoses charity softball game, which invited local firefighters to play against law enforcement in exhibition play, began donating funds to Clements’ office in 2015. No official Guns N’ Hoses game has been organized for 2018, though the group did hold a series of cops-versus-firefighters races at Golden Sands Speedway in August.

Clements said the emergency fund is monitored by a three-person committee of county appointees and doles out funds for Portage Co. veterans who are in a tight spot. Requests for funding are vetted, he said, and typically involve a need for groceries or emergency housing repairs. The funds are paid directly to the entity providing the service or goods, he added.

“It just goes to show how many people in the community really do support veterans,” Peltier said. “I hope that continues every year we do this.”

For more information on the emergency fund, call Clements’ office at (715) 346-1311.