MEMORIAL TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN DOWNTOWN EDWARDSVILLE IN MEMORY OF SOLDIERS:
Local Businesses Lend a Hand
EDWARDSVILLE, ILL., Oct. 11, 2010 . . . A local fundraising effort is underway in the Edwardsville area to help raise funds for a memorial that will sit center stage in the community at Edwardsville City Park in memory of those who have sacrificed their life while serving in the armed forces. An effort spearheaded by Douglas and Jill Garbs, parents of U.S. Army Ranger Spc. Ryan C. Garbs, who was killed in action in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, and the Greater Edwardsville Area Community Foundation, the memorial will pay tribute to a Edwardsville area natives who have given their lives in the era of modern warfare.
According to Doug Garbs, the foundation is collecting $40,000 to construct the monument. So far, $11,750 has been collected from area businesses and residents. Most recently, TheBANK of Edwardsville donated $2,500 to the project, which is called the Gold Star Monument.
Garbs said, “The Gold Star Monument is about the many brave soldiers that have no monument, no memorial to them. We know how we, as Ryan’s parents, felt and there are 73 other parents that feel the same as us. For us, this is part of our healing and we hope it will serve a similar purpose for the families of these patriots of the Greater Edwardsville area.”
The monument will be constructed of 2 wings of Barre Gray Granite and will have a bronze bust of a soldier. The bust will be modeled after Spc. Ryan Garbs but will symbolize those many others who made a similar sacrifice. The pocket tab will read “our son” but will be representative of all of those 75 soldiers listed on the memorial.
“TheBANK of Edwardsville is very proud to be among the businesses in the area that have supported this family’s wish to memorialize their son and the solders of so many other families in the area that served their country with pride. We encourage other businesses to follow suit in support of these brave families that have given so much to our country and the local community,” said Thomas Holloway, President of TheBANK of Edwardsville.
Donations are being accepted for the Gold Star Memorial and can be made out to the Greater Edwardsville Area Community Foundation. Please mail contributions to G.E.A.C.F., P.O. Box 102, Edwardsville, IL 62025. Donors are asked to make a notation on their check that the donation is for the Ryan Garbs Memorial. The bust can currently be seen in the lobby of TheBANK of Edwardsville Main Office in Edwardsville.
The Greater Edwardsville Area Community Foundation is a charitable trust that receives, manages, and distributes tax deductible, charitable contributions for the benefit of the greater Edwardsville area and its residents. Contributions made to the foundation are tax deductible and contributors will receive an acknowledgment letter for tax purposes.
For additional information about how to make a contribution to the memorial, please contact Doug Garbs at (618) 656-5519.
TheBANK of Edwardsville, with its 2010 theme: “Because We Care,” has assets exceeding $1.4 billion and a long tradition of providing personal service, offering innovative products and giving back to the communities in which it serves. For more information, please visit www.4thebank.com
