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Date: 7/13/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — Fundraising for the East Longmeadow Veterans Memorial has made it about halfway to its goal. On July 5, ES Veterans Association, a nonprofit organization owned and operated by Eversource employees, donated $10,000 to the Veterans Memorial fund. East Longmeadow Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Terry Glusko said there is still a way to go.
Designed by Architecture EL, The East Longmeadow Veterans Memorial will be on the lawn in front of the Pleasant View Seinor Center, 328 N. Main St. The star-shaped memorial is designed to feature black granite stones dedicated to each war, from World War I to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, inscribed with the names of the fallen. At the other end of the lawn, a small reflecting park will feature benches and a battle cross monument.
In a 2018 interview with Reminder Publishing, Glusko said the memorial was estimated to cost about $300,000 and that the construction would be finished no later than 2021. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and a near complete halt in fundraising opportunities that lasted about 22 months. The financial issues and inflation that followed have caused the project cost to increase to $500,000, according to Glusko.
While individual donors have given to the memorial fund and companies such a Big Y and Monson Savings Bank have donated up to $10,000 each, Glusko estimated that there is about $225,000 left to raise for the memorial.
Council on Aging Director Erin Koebler said “no one works harder” than the East Longmeadow Veteran’s Memorial Committee. Since gatherings resumed after the COVID-19-related shutdown, the committee has hosted a fundraising motorcycle rally, set up booths at National Night Out and most recently, raised money at the Fourth of July carnival at Center Field.
Tax-exempt donations can be sent directly to People’s Bank, 201 North Main St., East Longmeadow MA 01028 ATTN: EL Veterans Memorial. The project’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/f/east-longmeadow-veterans-memorial.
Visit facebook.com/elvmc293 for more information.