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VFW surprised with $5,000 to bring traveling wall to Des Plaines

Members of Des Plaines VFW Post 2992 were surprised on live TV this week when they received a $5,000 check from Rivers Casino that will go toward bringing a replica traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to town next summer.

Post Commander Mike Lake and Senior Vice Commander Keith Renner were invited to appear Monday on "Windy City Live," the local daytime talk show on ABC 7 Chicago. They were told they would be one of four organizations that could be on the receiving end of $250 donations from the casino, as part of a segment on the casino's five-year anniversary.

The segment featured the show's hosts playing a few rounds of blackjack, with each host playing for a particular charity.

But instead of the $250, representatives of each organization were presented with oversized $5,000 checks and an abundance of confetti.

"What a surprise that was," Lake said.

The local VFW has been hoping to bring The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the one in Washington, D.C., to Des Plaines next August during its annual nationwide tour.

Lake said the $5,000 donation gets the VFW halfway to its fundraising goal to pay for the 250-foot-long replica, an accompanying mobile museum and other expenses.

If approved by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization that sets up the wall, it would be displayed over a four-day period at Lake Park on Des Plaines' south side.

Lake said the VFW should find out by December if the wall will make a stop in Des Plaines.

The other nonprofit organizations that received $5,000 checks are the Alzheimer's Association, the San Lucas Soup Kitchen in Chicago, and The Cara Program, a job training and placement provider for the homeless.

Rivers officials say the casino has donated more than $7 million to nonprofits and schools in Illinois since opening in 2011.

The Des Plaines VFW is accepting additional donations for the replica wall. They can be sent to P.O. Box 1702, Des Plaines, IL 60017.

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