Wisconsin Energy Foundation makes donation to Fisher House WI



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Fisher House Wisconsin has announced that Wisconsin Energy Foundation is donating $10,000 toward construction of Wisconsin`s first Fisher House on the Veterans Administration (VA) campus.

A Fisher House is a "home away from home" for military and veterans' families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Veterans and their families living beyond 50 miles from the Milwaukee VA hospital will be eligible to stay overnight for free at the future Fisher House.

Currently, more than 8,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans travel to the Milwaukee VA Medical Center for treatment of their wounds and injuries.

"This donation from the Wisconsin Energy Foundation represents another major step forward in building Wisconsin`s first Fisher House," said Daniel Buttery, president of the board of directors for Fisher House Wisconsin. "Fisher House Wisconsin is grateful for the tremendous support of the greater Milwaukee community, including the Wisconsin Energy Foundation, for its generous contribution and support of our nation`s military and veteran families."

There are now 60 Fisher House facilities in operation in the United States and Germany (with a new house opening in London in June), built next to hospitals on major military bases and VA grounds. In 2012, the Fisher House facilities served more than 19,000 families. The average length of stay for each family was 10 days. The Fisher House Foundation has saved families more than $30 million in lodging costs as well as food and transportation.

The Wisconsin Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, the parent company of We Energies. Employees of We Energies voted on this foundation gift, choosing Fisher House Wisconsin as recipient of this $10,000 donation. Wisconsin Energy has long supported military veterans. The foundation has been a longtime partner of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, sponsoring several flights to take WWII veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial dedicated in their honor. We Energies also has been recognized as a military-friendly employer.

The Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center is located at 5000 W. National Ave., Milwaukee. For more information regarding the Fisher House project, go to www.FisherHouseWI.org.

The Wisconsin Energy Foundation, established in November 1982, has invested more than $125 million in support of activities of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations in communities served by Wisconsin Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Foundation strives to create brighter futures for the communities in which we do business. Funding for initiatives supported by the Wisconsin Energy Foundation is derived from the shareholders.