COARSEGOLD — After 18 months of hard work and good planning, members of the local organization, Caring Veterans of America, Inc., invite the community to attend the unveiling of their very special Veterans Memorial, situated in a prime location at the Coarsegold Historic Village.
Fittingly, the reveal takes place on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11 at the northwest corner of Highway 41 and Road 415. The event starts at 10 a.m. and includes live music, free food, military speakers including representatives of Caring Veterans of America (CVA), as well as Madera County District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler and Madera County District Attorney David Linn.
Caring Veterans of America was founded on the idea of veterans helping other veterans and their families. Since the organization was established, they have helped where help is needed, producing Stand Downs, raising public awareness, and creating a community within a community, founded on the principals of aid and compassion.
“We advocate for those who need our help,” explains Commander Terry Cole, a veteran of Vietnam. “Even a little help goes a long way.”
They’ve also been busy for the last 18 months designing, fundraising and now installing a handsomely distinctive monument to all United States Armed Forces veterans, right in Coarsegold. The land on which the memorial sits has been leased to CVA for 99 years by Richard and Diane Boland, owners of the Coarsegold Historic Village.
The salt-and-pepper granite monument is three-winged, and etched with an American flag in the center, flanked by soldiers on each side. Later on, three flag poles and solar lighting will be added.
Said to cost somewhere around $35,000 the veterans memorial project is coming to fruition thanks to the tremendous support of local businesses and individuals, says Commander Cole, along with a big push from Lithia Motors in Fresno. CVA offers special thanks to Mark Manfield of Raymond Granite in Fresno, and Don Webber for the landscaping in progress.
“There has never been anything like it in Coarsegold for the veterans, so we decided to do something special,” says CVA founding member Cole with typical understatement. Coarsegold Historic Village is located at 35300 Highway 41 in Coarsegold.
Caring Veterans of America, Inc. online
Caring Veterans of America, Inc. on Facebook
