Over $ 270,000 Pledged!
With some verbal commitments we have now surpassed $270,000 in contributions, more than halfway toward our $450,000 goal. We would like to reach this goal by March 31, 2016, which would allow us to dedicate the new plaza on Veterans Day 2016!! It is expected that we will take this drive to the general public late in January. Wilcox Construction of Edmonds has offered to build the plaza at their cost, which would be a significant donation in itself. The city is expected to include Wilcox on the bid request list.
Naming Opportunities
Commander Blossey will be putting together a promotional piece to describe naming opportunities, to honor individual veterans, which include:
- A pedestal at $10,000 for all four sides
- One side of a pedestal is $2,500
- Individual Pavers are $500 each.
- 6 park benches at $2000 each.
It should be emphasized that these naming opportunities are for recognizing veterans, not for recognizing donors. There will be a donor wall to recognize donors who contribute at least $1,000.
Participation of Post Membership Key to Funding Plaza
Committee Chair Ron Clyborne has questioned the level of participation by the Post membership in funding the Plaza to date. Less than 5% of our membership has contributed as of the December meeting of the committee. Clyborne wants us to know that we have post members on the committee that have put in hundreds of hours on this long overdue project that is “ Honoring all veterans…past, present and future” and it is hoped that all of our membership will step up.
Certainly, all of us are not in a position to make a large donation, but every dollar contributed helps and equally important, helps demonstrate how important this project is to our veterans posterity. Your contribution, however small helps. $10, $20, $50, $100 donations do add up and if every VFW member who has not contributed to date donated just $20 that would raise a very meaningful $4000+. American Legion Post 66 as an organization has donated $6000, VFW Post 8870 has donated $1000 this year with an additional $1000 pledged for next year …a very few individual VFW members that have contributed or pledged a total of $12,500 to date, including a single pledge of $ 10,000.
The committee asks that we please forward this newsletter to friends and family and other veterans who are not VFW Post 8870 members so that they too may consider a donation.