Committee nears halfway point in fundraising for veterans site Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
Members of Oak Ridge’s Special Events Committee and Oak Ridge Mayor Ann Schneider (second from left) stand together after a groundbreaking ceremony for the future Veterans Honor Green in Heritage Farm Park.
by PATTI STOKES OAK RIDGE – Bernard Walraven said he and his wife, Anna, knew they wanted to help support the future Veterans Honor Green in Heritage Farm Park after viewing artist renderings and walking the veterans site several months ago with his father, Ben Walraven. Ben serves on Oak Ridge’s Special Events Committee, which began working with the town’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board in 2019 to create “a peaceful setting designed to honor veterans and encourage reflection” in the town’s newest park.
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
Bernard and Anna Walraven were the first platinum-level sponsors of the future Veterans Honor Green in Oak Ridge’s Heritage Farm Park. Bernard spoke during a groundbreaking ceremony for the veterans site April 7, and said it will not only be a very special place for the community to gather, but for him and Anna to take their children and honor several family members who have served our country in the armed forces.
“Anna and I feel like it is an excellent opportunity to be part of something that will help unite our community around the cause of honoring the people who have, and are, currently fighting for the values of this great country in our armed forces,” Bernard said at a groundbreaking ceremony the Special Events Committee held for the Veterans Honor Green on April 7. The committee kicked off its fundraising campaign last fall and the town of Oak Ridge has committed to matching donations dollarfor-dollar. With a $10,000 donation, Bernard and Anna Walraven were the Veterans Honor
Green’s first platinum-level donors. L.J. Custom Homes has since also donated $10,000, and several other businesses and individuals have made donations at various levels to help the committee raise almost half of the estimated $200,000 needed to complete the veterans site. The committee recently began taking orders for brick pavers to honor a veteran or loved one; the pavers will be placed on the Walk of Honor leading to the veterans site, which the committee hopes will be completed in the fall of 2023.
want to donate, purchase a paver? Donations in any amount are accepted by cash, credit card or check. A donation form can be downloaded at www.oakridgenc.com. Checks should be made out to the Town of Oak Ridge and mailed to: Special Events Committee, Town of Oak Ridge, P.O. Box 374, Oak Ridge, NC 27310. For more info, call Town Hall at (336) 644-7009. See ad on opposite page for more details about purchasing a paver.
