Countybank donates to vet center for memorial plaza
Representatives from Countybank joined Greenwood County Veterans Affairs staff and Hall of Heroes board members to offer a $2,500 grant award for the final phase of the veterans memorial plaza.
Hall of Heroes Board Chairman Dale Kittles gives Countybank Senior Vice President David Tompkins a tour of the veterans center museum.
A grant has brought the Greenwood veterans memorial plaza one step closer to completion.
Countybank awarded a $2,500 grant from its charitable foundation to the Greenwood Hall of Heroes board to help fund the third phase of the memorial plaza in front of the veterans center.
Since planning began on the memorial plaza in 2014, the veterans center and Hall of Heroes board have sold pavers and solicited donations to build the monument, benches and commemorative bricks and pavers along the path leading into the veterans center.
The third phase will extend the curved sidewalks running around the lawns on either side of the monument, and add three stone panels at the end of each path, engraved in homage to each branch of the U.S. military.
“We’ve been selling pavers all along, and that’s been raising money for this operation,” said retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Fox.
Fox, along with other members of the Hall of Heroes board including retired Lt. Col. James Dominick, have been part of the plaza project since the beginning.
“It’s a moment of joy and gratitude, almost a tear, knowing the many veterans in this area who have given — and many who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Dominick said. “There are times it gets emotional.”
Dominick said he is proud that Greenwood County has a first-class, county-owned memorial to veterans that’s only getting more impressive as the project continues.
Countybank Senior Vice President David Tompkins said the Countybank Foundation reviews funding requests and offers grants and support to various organizations.
“We are always looking to support nonprofit organizations that are good for Greenwood County,” Tompkins said.
Veterans Service Officer Rosalind Burke said it means a lot to have guests coming from out of town and state who stop to view the monument and plaza. On Valentine’s Day, she said people left flowers on pavers in memory of loved ones.
“It’s beautiful. I talk to a lot of people who come here throughout the day. Some even come at night to see it all lit up,” she said. “I’m excited to see the unveiling of the third phase.”
Burke said the stone panels have been ordered, and she expects to see them delivered within the next 90 days. Installation will depend on weather conditions, she said.
Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ.
