COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio – The Colerain Township Memorial group is working to raise $1.6 million for a veterans memorial.
Currently, Colerain Township has a Heroes Memorial at the busy intersection of Colerain Avenue and Springdale Road next to the Northgate Mall. But the memorial honors not just veterans, but first responders, members of the community, and the historical society.
- Total project would cost $1.6 million
- Colerain Township has a population of approximately 58,000
- Colerain Township Memorial Group recently had a donation box stolen
“Not to take away from the Heroes memorial... it's just not a place for veterans to go reflect and think with the amount of traffic and cars going by,” said Chris Green, an Army Veteran and president of the 501(c)3 non-profit Colerain Township Veterans Memorial.
Green served for seven years in the U.S. Army and spent time in Grenada. His grandfather was a decorated World War II hero.
“I'm a veteran and veterans don't get the respect and notoriety they deserve,” Green told Spectrum News 1 in an interview from his home.
The Heroes Memorial also faces away from traffic at the busy Colerain intersection. The city sign faces outward and passing motorists can't see the memorial unless they pull into a mall parking lot.
Green said the group, so far, has raised about $10,000 over the last six months. They hope to raise $500,000 by Veterans Day 2019 to begin phase one of the project.
“That's to do all the brick, the concrete, the tower, the lights, and the wiring for the memorial.”
Phases 2, 3, and 4 will include adding benches and statues.
Plans call for the memorial to have 16 statues: 11 from each war era and five from each branch of service. There will be 16 granite benches with engraving and 20 flag poles. The brick walkway and foundation will include engravings from residents, military personnel, and supporters.
Green hopes to fund the entire $1.6 million project with private money. The group recently obtained 501(c)3 status and is hoping to soon solicit donations from businesses and corporations.
Colerain Township officials support the project and even donated land at the community center. The memorial would sit in the southwest corner in the 4300 block of Springdale Road, about a mile west of the Heroes Memorial.
To raise money the group has held a number of fundraising events. They're also selling various military-themed items like Christmas ornaments, fleece blankets, pillows, wristbands, and other items. They can all be purchased on the Colerain Township Veterans Memorial website. There is also a link for direct donations and information about how to help.
The group also has several donation boxes around Colerain Township, but one was recently stolen from the YMCA on Cheviot Road. Green said YMCA officials were looking into the situation. He hoped they have surveillance video of whoever might have taken the box.
“There might have been five dollars in there. There might have been five-thousand dollars in there. We don't know. The point is it's gone.”
Green said the group just wants the box back.
“The jar costs us twenty-five dollars to have them made. We want the jar back to put it somewhere else.”
Green says a lot of the area residents support the initiative and he hopes the new non-profit status will accelerate fundraising.
“I took an oath of office and that oath never expires. I think every veteran, especially the ones in war, deserve this.”