Vets Home volunteers recognized

Those who volunteer at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King do so in a variety of ways.

Some assist at the library and others at the coffee shop.

"You are all contributing to making King so very special," said WVH Commandant Mary Hansen.

She made those comments on Wednesday, April 18 during the veterans home's annual volunteer banquet.

This year's banquet was held at the Waupaca Ale House and was attended by more than 175 of the veterans home's volunteers.

In all, 326 people volunteer their time there.

"You are the reason why Wisconsin is the national leader in taking care of our vets. You selflessly take care of our vets at King," said John Scocos, the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

He was the guest speaker, and before the end of the program, a "check" was presented to him to represent the amount of money the volunteers save the state.

With 34,179 volunteer hours put in, staff at the veterans home calculated a monetary value of about $684,000 in savings to Wisconsin, based on using an hourly rate of $20 per hour.

Scocos told the volunteers there is no way to pay them for what they do to make the veterans' lives better.

Hansen said the volunteers bring compassion, dedication and personal talent to their roles at the veterans home.

"It's wonderful to be part of a program that recognizes each of your for your services," she said.

The banquet was held during National Volunteers Week.