(June 12, 2017) The Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation is seeking a grant of $25,000 from the County of San Diego. The funds would be used for maintenance of the Avenue of Flags, and for continuation of memorial services and events for veterans at Miramar National Cemetery.
Foundation Chief Financial Officer Richard Sells made the request at a County Board of Supervisors meeting, June 12. His was one of a number of presentations made by various groups seeking funding from the Supervisors.
Sells said $16,000 of the requested $25,000 would finance the purchase of new flags, and also would be used for maintenance of the Avenue of Flags. The display, which runs the length of the cemetery’s main roadway, features 50 American flags flown 24/7 year-round.
The remaining $9,000 would support the annual Veterans Memorial Service, held on Memorial Day weekend, and a Veterans Day event.
Since 2010, Sells said, the Foundation has sponsored or coordinated placement of a number of enhancements at the VA cemetery, including the Avenue of Flags, the Prisoners of War monument, and the Memorial Walkway, which commemorates veterans’ organizations. In November 2016, the Foundation dedicated the Veterans Tribute Tower & Carillon, a $400,000 project.
Sells thanked the Board of Supervisors for taking “a direct interest in these projects” by providing a grant of $103,000 for installation of the Avenue of Flags in 2011, and a $78,000 grant in 2016 for construction of the Veterans Tower & Carillon.
“The Foundation is now asking your continued involvement with these projects,” Sells said. “The Foundation values the support the Board of Supervisors has given in the past, and we hope to continue this relationship for the benefit of San Diego County’s 250,000 veterans and their families.”
Sells noted that the major source of on-going funding for the Foundation and its activities “comes from generous contributions made by individual donors, by private foundations, and by local corporations. The Foundation appreciates their continuing support.”
By Bill Heard
Foundation PIO