Nov. 10, 2022
*SPECIAL VETERANS DAY EDITION*
 Veterans Day is Friday, Nov. 11. There are an estimated 12,300* veterans residing in the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation service area. They have served in branches of the United State Armed Forces during times of war and peace.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation has assisted projects throughout the region that support veterans, their families and their communities. The agency is honored to provide funding that improves the quality of life for area veterans, most recently related to health care, child care, historical preservation and memorials, and tourism and recreation. Recent grants include:
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Disabled Veterans Recreation/Veterans on the Lake Resort, Ely: Improved accessibility to trails, paths, walkways, ramps, docks, outdoor areas and cabins for individuals in wheelchairs or other medical equipment, as well as those with other impairments. The resort is a nonprofit that serves disabled American Veterans and others with physical and mental disabilities.
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Ely Area Veterans Memorial, Ely: A new memorial for the Ely, Tower, Babbitt and surrounding areas to honor veterans. During World War II, Ely had the most men and women who served per capita of any city its size in the United States. Ely lost two veterans in the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and 52 Ely veterans were killed in action during World War II, the most of any U.S. city its size.
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Ely Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic, Ely: Infrastructure improvements to support a renovation that added 2,400 square feet of remodeled space and 5,040 square feet of new space. The expansion enabled the outpatient clinic to provide additional health services, including mental health care, primary and internal medicine and women’s health care to area United States military veterans.
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Little Mariners Child Care Center, Silver Bay: Infrastructure for a safe drop-off zone and parking area for a new child care center that when at full capacity will create 132 new slots, including 60 school-age children, 36 preschool-age children, 21 toddlers and 15 infants. Silver Bay and Lake County have two of the highest needs-for-growth for child care slots in northeastern Minnesota. Prior to the opening of Little Mariners, the State of Minnesota Veterans Home in Silver Bay was considerably impacted by the child care shortage. The lack of child care was a barrier to recruiting and retaining its workforce.
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Mid-Range Range Honor Guard/United Way of Northeastern Minnesota, Hibbing: A new service vehicle to transport equipment for the veteran’s organization established through Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8510. The honor guard provides military funeral honors and comfort to fallen soldiers and veterans who served honorably in the United States military. The guard also performs flag raisings at approximately 100 special events annually.
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Veterans History Project, Itasca County: An interactive veterans exhibit at Itasca County Historical Society that includes a museum display and an online searchable database to record the digital personal history of every Itasca County veteran. The museum display encompasses conflicts involving America beginning with the Civil War, followed by the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror.
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Veterans Riverfront Park, Cook: The park pays tribute to all military branches and veterans and provides an outdoor community space for residents and tourists. The park features memorials honoring the military, picnic tables, grills, a flag pole, steel swing and handicap-accessible paved parking lot.
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Veterans of Foreign Wars Building, Post 4456, Gilbert: Major structural building repairs to damage that was discovered during an extensive street and sidewalk renovation project. The repairs to the foundation and eastern sidewall were expedited so that the street and sidewalk renovation project could continue without drastic delays.
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Warba American Legion Post 432 Campground, Warba: Improvements to the campground including upgraded electric hookups to meet the utility demands of today’s modern RVs and campers, improved shower house and new flag poles.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation’s grants are funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry.
*Source: American Community Survey five-year estimates (2016-2020) for the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation service area by Wilder Research.
This Veterans Day, please take time to honor the more than 300,000 Minnesota veterans who have served our nation.
Annual Veterans Day Event
The official Minnesota Veterans Day Program will take place on Nov. 11 at the Veterans Memorial Community Center, 8055 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs invites veterans, families, elected officials and community members to come together to celebrate and honor all those who have served our country. A free community breakfast will be served from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., followed by an inspiring program beginning at 10 a.m.
Can’t attend in person? Livestream or access a recording of the event.
Special Thanks
Finally, a very special thank you to the thousands of Minnesota veterans who also serve the public by working in Minnesota state government.
Happy Veterans Day!
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Below is a list of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation employees who served in the military. We thank them for their service and sacrifice!
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