Hampden Honor Roll fundraising under way

HAMPDEN – The Veterans Honor Roll committee has taken on a “monumental task.” It has announced that the Memorial Day weekend fund-raiser and other efforts have resulted in approximately $25,000 in donations, which marks the midpoint for fund raising. The committee’s goal is to have the honor roll in place for Veterans Day in November.

More than 50 people participated in a door-to-door fund-raising campaign for two hours on May 28 in Hampden. Volunteers from the Kiwanis, Key Club, Boy Scouts and local middle school social studies classes helped in the effort. About half of residences in town were contacted. The remaining homes will be visited in the coming months in order to collect donations and solicit names to be included on the honor roll.

The honor roll committee continues to offer Forest Hart’s bronze eagle sculpture for $1,200.

Receiving names of veterans for the honor roll is now the primary objective of the committee.

“We need to get quickly the names of any person who was living in Hampden when they went into the military,” said Allison Berube, co-chairwoman of fund raising. “We would like people to think of all the friends and relatives they know of from Hampden who are serving or have served in any branch of the military.”

The honor roll will list any person who was on active duty from World War I to the present, including those who served in time of peace. The only stipulation is that the person lived in Hampden when entering the military.

The honor roll will list reservists who have been activated during recent conflicts.

Volunteers are needed to research names to include on the monument. The deadline for the list is Aug. 1.

Since the recent death of Don Muth, who was chairman of the honor roll committee, Herb Frost has assumed that duty.

Those who know of names that should be included on the monument are asked to call Allison Berube at 942-1890, or Herb Frost at 862-3299.