I received a follow-up email to our VFW Rider donation to purchase a brick at the Gold Star Family Memorial.
Gold Star Family Memorial Monument Brick Paver Donors:
On behalf of our Clinton Township Gold Star Monument Committee, thank you very much for supporting the memorial that will soon grace the Clinton Township Community Center landscape.
As you know, the memorial recognizes Gold Star Families' losses and honor their fallen service members. Clinton Township is the custodian of the monument and will make it available for all Gold Star Family members, Nation-wide, who wishes to spend some time at the striking black granite monolith. I believe you will be very proud of your brick paver and even more of the monument you helped build. The brick pavers will be placed next to the 24'x28' concrete apron surrounding the monument.
We are planning for a monument dedication date of 12 June 2021. The $78,000 project is fully funded thanks to you and a little over 100 other generous donors. We also have a small contingency for unplanned expenses and possible cost overruns, plus dedication day expenses which surprisingly can be over $2,000.
The Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation entered a contract with the monument sculptor last month. They expect to have the product completed by late March. We plan for a local excavation company to install the monument foundation during early April and the monument will be placed on the foundation in early May. The concrete apron and sidewalk should be placed mid May with bricks, landscaping and electrical work completed by late May. It is a tight schedule. If we have unanticipated weather or construction delays, we may need to extend the dedication date to late July -- Hopefully not!
The brick pavers placement will be one of the last tasks completed during late-May. Your order forms are at the engraver's office and when digitized, we will email the file to you for your final edit and approval.
We are accepting brick paver and bench orders until 28 February 2021. Clinton Township will not continue paver sales following the dedication. If you know of someone who would like to recognize a person or family or simply honor and express their respect for Gold Star Families, please let them know that bricks must be purchased by 28 Feb.
After all bills are paid, our account will be closed and the remaining funds will be moved to Woody's Gold Star Family Scholarship Fund. We have asked the Foundation to encourage MI Gold Star Family kids to apply for the money.
For further information please take a look at the Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation web page: http://hwwmohf.org/monuments/clinton-township-mi.html, and the Gold Star Family Monument Clinton Township facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=gold%20star%20family%20monument-clinton%20township.
Give us a yell if you have questions concerning the schedule or your brick paver donations -- or anything else. Call, 810/278-0413, or email, straffon@aol.com.
Karen & Nick Straffon and Monument Committee Co-Chairs
