C-R breaks ground on Armed Forces garden

RAWSON — Construction of the Armed Forces Honor Garden at Cory-Rawson Local Schools has officially started, creating a dedicated space to honor past and present military service members and their impact. David Lee, a recently retired seventh and eighth grade history teacher at Cory-Rawson, is spearheading the initiative. He first envisioned the project after noticing there were no dedicated spaces for a veteran memorial in the area. "I traveled around a lot of different communities, especially area communities, and had noticed that many of them had a way to honor veterans," Lee said. "We really didn't have anything like that in the Cory-Rawson community. I felt inspired to dedicate something towards them for all the time and service that they put towards our country, especially to keep our freedoms." After four years of planning, ground has been broken. Lee said the milestone is accredited to the generosity and support from the local community. "It feels really good to get to this point," Lee said, "It's been in the making for about four years and it's kind of been slow going with funding. Recently, I'd received some more money that came in and that really helped springboard us into getting into a position to get the project up and going." One of the biggest challenges has been getting people to donate before they could see progress being made, said Lee. "I think once people have a visual and can see something actually happening then they're more willing to get on board," he said. Lee said the project still needs an estimated $5,000-$10,000 to cover the costs of materials and labor. Different sponsorship levels are available and include: Friends $1,000, Bronze $2,500, Silver $5,000, Gold $10,000 and Platinum $25,000. Major donors will be recognized near the memorial garden. "I've already had a lot of voluntary time that has been donated," Lee said. "That's been great, but donated time doesn't buy objects. That's been the biggest struggle, getting the foundation poured, having to pay for the materials for the walls and for those kinds of things — that's where the big expenses are." The Honor Garden will include features such as granite benches, medallions, water fountains, flagpoles and engraved brick pavers. Despite financial setbacks, in-kind donations have greatly reduced the cost of the garden. The community has sponsored two of the three granite benches, one flagpole and flag and several engraved brick pavers. Local businesses have also contributed their services to the project, including Miller Grounds Care with landscaping services and installation of brick pavers; PJ Rupright with excavation; and DNC Hydraulics providing a 3-D design and rendering of the garden. Engraved bricks can be purchased by families for $100 each and can be personalized with three lines of text. "The bricks can be sponsored for a person from our community that has served in the military or is presently serving," Lee said. "It's limited with the amount of information that you can get on it, but it's got room for a person's name, what branch they served in and if they were involved in a war or something like that." The Armed Forces Honor Garden differs from traditional memorials, as the space is designed for past and current soldiers in the army. "I didn't want to create a space just specifically for people that had passed on, but as a place for even current family members to come, reflect and pay respect for the service that the people in our local community have put forth," Lee said. Once finished, the garden will be maintained by Cory-Rawson eighth grade students as part of an annual service project. "My eighth grade students learned American history including the foundation of our country and the sacrifices that people made to get us to the point that we are today," Lee said. "Once the garden is completed, the idea is that eighth graders will be responsible for making sure that everything is kept up and the space is in as good of a condition as possible." Those interested in supporting the Armed Forces Honor Garden can contribute in the following ways: • Purchasing a commemorative brick for family members in one of the branches of military for $100 • Sponsoring or donating garden features (flagpoles, benches, medallions, concrete work, masonry works, landscaping materials, lights) • Making a donation (online or check) • Volunteering with construction, installation efforts Several tasks remain before the space can be open to the public including running electrical and plumbing lines, installing walls, and integrating the garden into existing school infrastructure. While construction has just begun, Lee is hopeful the garden can be completed or near completion by this fall. A dedication ceremony will be planned to commemorate the grand opening, with current military members and veterans invited to celebrate.