Lights of Honor campaign raises money for veterans

(WNDU) - Michiana is a greener place thanks to local activists.

The Lights of Honor campaign was aimed at veterans who served in Afghanistan. It involved the sale of green light bulbs to people who wanted to publicly show their support and appreciation.

The campaign raised more than $2,000. On Thursday, the proceeds were donated to a veteran’s suicide prevention group.

“Less than 50-percent go to the VA for services,” says Kent Laudeman of STOP 22 Michiana, a nonprofit organization aimed at combatting veteran suicide. “So we’ve got a mission to reach out and make sure that they know that that service is here. They need to check on eligibility criteria and see if they’re admissible and so forth. If not, we need to use the community resources.”

“We need to show appreciation and honor for their service because it’s not in vain,” says Jim McKinnes with Lights of Honor. “We’ve got to rally around them as a community, and this is just one way for us to do that.”

The sale of the bulbs raised about a thousand dollars, which was matched by Christ Temple Apostolic Church in South Bend.

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