America's only memorial to military women needs your help

Impressive building at Arlington National Cemetery that should be funded. It seems to be a shame that there needs to be a fundraiser on this.

I received the following message by email this evening. It explains how the Women in Military Service for America Memorial is funded, why there is currently a need for a fundraiser, and what the future looks like for the Memorial.

"A Message from MG Dee McWilliams, USA Retired, President of WIMSA Memorial Foundation:

"I know many of you are concerned about recent articles and news reports that our Memorial may be closing soon. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent that from happening. I want you to be aware of the situation so you know what our plans are and how you can help.

Approximately one year ago, the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation was in a very serious financial situation. We were in debt, and unable to meet payroll for every employee. How did this happen? I assure you there was no malfeasance, all of our audits have been clean audits. Some level of Federal funds had always been a part of the Memorial Foundation funding until 2011. Congress did not provide Federal funds that year or any year after that year and fund raising efforts did not compensate for this shortfall.

The funding shortfalls year over year caused a back log of building maintenance and repair to accumulate as well as created the in ability to hire highly qualified staff. When the Board became aware of the situation they reduced the budget to match the level of funding we normally raised. As a result, I had to make tough cost cutting decisions; we reduced the already small staff through layoffs, renegotiated the lease for office space reducing the office footprint by one third, and, relocated the collection to a less costly storage space offsite.

To regain Federal funding, myself and the VP Development executed a Hill strategy with the help of a pro bono Consulting Firm to gain support from Congress to restore Federal funds. We have had some success with that strategy. Language to authorize funds for WIMSA was included in the FY 17 National Defense Authorization Act. Money was also put into the FY DOD Appropriations Bill. However, with the current Capitol Hill budget battles and Continuing Resolutions, these funds remain unavailable to the Foundation. To further complicate the flow of funds, Congress required the DoD to develop a contract with the Foundation prior to the release of funds. In short, even when a FY17 Budget passes, working this issue with the Pentagon will take time before the money can be provided.

The amount of money provided by Congress is not intended to fully fund WIMSA, it is meant as a onetime fix for identified problems. In addition to this “one time fix”, we are also trying to establish some level of ongoing federal funding that will cover staff costs and maintain the Memorial building. If and when these federal funds become available, it will still be necessary to raise funds for the programs that the Memorial should provide to our women veterans. The Foundation is a 501©3 organization and as such we can never expect the federal government to cover all expenses.

As women veterans and active duty members and supporters, we must continue to support our Memorial.

WHERE WE ARE NOW. Because of the delay in receiving Federal funds and no large boost in funds from donors (our fund raising is not bad, it just is not enough), we are in danger of closing our doors in the next year.

We need your help NOW and in the future.

We need to raise 2.5 million dollars to just keep the doors open (these donations will pay the remaining skeletal staff, and help us literally keep the lights on – electricity, water and sewer, phones and internet, and keep mechanical systems (HVAC), functioning.

Beyond 2017, we will continue to need a higher level of donor support if we want to truly make the Memorial representative of the women who have served.

They and we deserve THE best we have to give."

Please consider sharing this message with 2 or 3 other potential supporters today. Thank you."

In the one day since Army Times published this article, more than $66,000 has been raised. Please share the article with any and all of your contacts. The goal is $1.5M by the end of this year.