Today's speaker was Nancy Fassbender representing the Pinal County Veterans Memorial Foundation. The Foundation's goal is to construct a memorial for veterans from Pinal County who have given their lives in battle from WW I to the present day defending our freedom and liberty.
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The memorial will be built inside the Ed Hooper Regional Park in Casa Grande, a city which is located at the center of Pinal County. The center piece will be a bronze statue of a serviceman from the waist up offering the folded American flag as if presenting it to a family member of a fallen veteran at a military funeral. The statue will be placed on a pedestal with the words "On Behalf of a Grateful Nation" carved into it. The statue will be surrounded by an octagon-shaped wall where the names of the fallen service members will be inscribed. There will also be a kiosk with information about each soldier.
The Foundation is a 501c3 organization. They are sponsoring two events to raise money for the memorial. On Sunday, February 11, the 4th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration will be held at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Howard Schneider and his All Star Dixieland Band will provide dance music. There will be food, prize drawings and 50/50 drawings. The other event is the 8th Annual Golf Tournament on March 17 at the Arizona City golf course. For more information about either event contact Donna Stadum at 480-332-6916. Ben Fellow's wife Peggy is also selling tickets for the Mardi Gras event. See her for your tickets.] Nancy has written a book "My Favorite Hero" which tells the stories of some of Pinal County's fallen heroes. Proceeds from book sales go toward the memorial.