Local veterans have received approval to have Wall that Heals stop at Hayden City Park on Aug. 16-18.

Now they're pushing ahead with their fundraising campaign to pay for the appearance of the traveling Vietnam veterans memorial wall.

"We've got the wall; all we need is the funds," said Noelan "Mac" McCormack, of Coeur d'Alene and the Kootenai County Veterans Council.

About $3,000 has been raised with donations from vet groups and individuals and $4,000 more is needed before July 1 to lock it in financially and pay for advertisements, expenses of the traveling crew and other costs, said McCormack, a Marine vet who served in the Korean War.

Accounts have been set up at Community 1st Bank branches in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene to benefit the event. Donations can also be sent to: Kootenai County Veterans Council, 9731 Shaw St., Hayden, ID 83835-9716.

The wall - one of four traveling walls pertaining to the war - is 250 feet long and 6 feet tall. It has the names of more than 58,000 Vietnam War veterans who died. The wall will be in the Seattle area in early August before making the stop here.

Coeur d'Alene's Leonard Olson, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War, said the wall has been scheduled for the entire region to pay their respects to Vietnam veterans.

"I have four friends on that wall, and I'm happy to bring them here," he said.

A memorial service will be held on the morning of Aug. 16. The wall will be open 24 hours and admission is free, but any donations at the wall (after the initial $7,000 is reached) will go toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for a new museum that will be built near the permanent Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Veterans groups will have booths at the park during the showing of the wall.

McCormack said multiple groups are collaborating on bringing the wall here, including Boy Scouts, veterans' motorcycle groups and the Patriot Guard.

"Everybody is jumping on this," McCormack said. "We're doing this for the community."