Fundraisers work to build a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Zimmerman

Zimmerman, Minnesota, is a patriotic town.

“We have to acknowledge veterans who have done the ultimate sacrifice, who have lost their lives,” says Dawn Olsen, visiting from Princeton.

American flags fly everywhere, and there is pride for those who’ve served.

“Until you’ve had that knock on the door, and those uniformed men there, it’s just life-changing,” declares Stacey Burnham, a Gold Star mother.

At American Legion Post 560, we met Olsen and Burnham, two women on a mission to build a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument here to honor relatives of service members who have passed away.

For Burnham, the idea was personal. Just over five years ago, her daughter Nicole, a U.S. Army private, died by suicide.

Burnham, from Andover, says she’s still in the healing process.

“So on Jan. 26, 2018, our family became a member of the Gold Star family — that is, when you lose somebody in service,” she says. “I’m not consumed by sadness. It’s time to remember the happy times. This monument can be a legacy to anybody’s loved one.”

At a walk in Anoka to honor veterans who’ve died by suicide, Burnham and Olsen met — and bonded — over the idea of a monument.

With designing help from the Woody Williams Foundation, a Kentucky nonprofit, the Zimmerman monument will be similar to one already installed in Mantorville, near Rochester.

It will include a silhouette of a saluting service member and will have four panels with etched themes labeled “homeland,” “family,” “patriot” and “service.”

“I would like families that have lost loved ones to come there and remember their son or their daughter,” Olsen notes. “It’s a place for them to go and cherish their loved ones.”

The two women are hoping to install the memorial at Zimmerman Legion Park.

They say they’ve raised about $48,000 in funding so far, with a goal of $105,000.

The pair hope the monument can be completed by June 2024.

Upon completion, the Zimmerman location will be the second Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Minnesota.

Burnham emphasizes the structure will honor all veterans and their families.

“This is not a memorial to Nicole,” she declares. “This monument represents everyone, all those that didn’t come home. Whether they were away at war, whether it was an illness or an accident or suicide. They all deserve to be honored and remembered and cherished.”

You can find out more about the Zimmerman monument here.

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Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:

• U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Minnesota Department of Health’s Suicide Prevention Program
• Minnesota Department of Human Service’s adult mental health resources
  • DHS map and list of statewide adult mental health crisis response phone numbers
  • DHS map and list of statewide children’s mental health crisis response phone numbers
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Minnesota
• Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255, Press 1
• Minnesota Farm and Rural Mental Health Helpline at 833-600-2670, ext. 1
• Crisis Phone Line – In the Twin Cities metro area, call **CRISIS (**274747) from a cellphone to talk to a team of professionals who can help.
• Crisis Text Line – Text MN to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.

If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:

• Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
• Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
• Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.

The U.S. National Suicide Prevention organization has also compiled a list of resources to help with coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.