Veterans Memorial fundraising gains momentum

The Tea Area Veterans Memorial fundraising campaign is getting wind in its sails again after the brief pause due to the pandemic.

The committee was incredibly humbled by the amount of support from the community during Teapot Days, raising over $3,100. The Historical Society donated all the proceeds from the pancake feed, the City of Tea donated the tips from the beer garden and the Sky Lounge hosted numerous activities. The Tea Area Veterans Memorial committee had an informational booth in the park and received donations from people enjoying the vendor fair.

Recently a mailing campaign was launched to local businesses and individuals, challenging them to become a ‘Recognition Wall’ donor by donating over $1,000. To date, six have stepped up to the challenge: Tea Historical Society, Tea Weekly, Reliabank, Southeastern Electric, Nielsen Construction and John and Michaele Lawler. There have also been organizations that have reached out to the Tea Area Veterans Memorial Committee with generous donations.

The Post 266 TinCaps baseball team recently donated $500 to the memorial.

Veteran Memorial Committee member Kristen Daggett said, “While we still have a lot of work to do to hit our $150,000 goal, we are thankful for the support that will allow us to honor our area Veterans.”

If you would like to be a part of the committee work, please email teasdveteransmemorial@gmail.com to ask how you can help or join the group at their next meeting August 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tea Legion.

“Together we can move this project forward to honor the men and women that made such incredible sacrifices to give us the freedoms we have today, our Veterans,” Daggett said.

The Tea Area Veterans Memorial will be located near the City of Tea Athletic Complex.