News: Neillsville - Highground (Website Launched - 2017)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Anason, Rebout

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/12/2017

The Highground (Website Launched - 2017)

The new website platform for The Highground of Neillsville was launched last week.

IJR Designs of Sparta donated the site as part of their giving back program, in which every two years they donate a site to a cause of their choice. The project is the accumulation of over 400 man hours of donated labor and code.

“It has been a joy working with IJR Designs,” said Kay Anason, staff member for The Highground. “Ike’s attention to details and openness to get exactly what we were looking for has been genuinely appreciated.”

IJR Designs owner, Ike Rebout said he came across The Highground website completely by accident after looking for some information on the brother of a friend who died in Iraq.

“We met with them back in October 2016, and started talking about the possibility of putting together something for them that really embodied the honor of this organization,” Rebout said. “We had no idea what an incredible group of volunteers and staff this organization has and the service and education that they provide to veterans in our community.”

The Highground is a 155-acre manned veteran’s memorial park that pays tribute to the dead and honors the survivors, their service, and their sacrifices. It is home to multiple monuments, including The National Native American Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“I still remember when we got the call after meeting with members of the staff that we got the site; it really was emotional for me,” Rebout said. “Being married to a veteran myself, it kind of shook me to the core that we were going to be the ones fortunate to put this project together for them. We knew that we had to do this right by them.”

The site has a responsive design built for mobile navigation and structure, has been speed and structure-tested on numerous platforms hitting high benchmarks and integrates high imagery and Search Engine Optimization as some of the key features. Future upgrades will include a new E-Commerce platform and a volunteer database system.

“We wanted to provide them something that lived up to the work that they are doing and continue to give back to the community in the best way we know how,” Rebout added.