The Montgomery County commission this week approved $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and another $100,000 in general fund money to put toward the project.
Wright Dunbar Inc. board member Karla Garrett Harshaw said this funding boost was a step toward fully financing the project, which is expected to exceed the originally planned $1.5 million. She estimated that another $600,000 or more will need to be raised.
“We feel certain this project will happen,” she said.
Sometimes called the Congressional Medal of Honor, the medal is the United States’ highest award for military valor, recognizing actions considered above and beyond the call of duty.
Passers-by can see World War I memorials already located in the park, along with a pair of Gold Star Mother memorials.
Garrett Harshaw said the memorial and its surrounding park will also pay tribute to the more than 110,000 veterans living in the Miami Valley.
The memorial, at the gateway to the Wright Dunbar Business District, will be an extension of the Dayton Region Walk of Fame that is located in the district. The park will become known as The Honor Park.
The names of the recipients of the Medal of Honor from Montgomery and surrounding counties will be etched into the granite base of the memorial. An online educational component to the memorial is also planned, Garrett Harshaw said.
Support is still needed. You can donate online through The Dayton Foundation. Or mail a check to the Dayton Foundation, Medal of Honor Memorial Campaign Fund #2231-,1401 S. Main St., Suite 100, Dayton, OH 45409. (The foundation is supporting the project as a component fund of the foundation. )
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