Village of Standard seeks donations to complete memorial to veterans

STANDARD — Standard’s mayor is hoping to garner donations to complete a memorial in honor of its veterans by Veterans Day.

Frank Vulcani said the idea of the memorial came from discussions with friends Joel Ellena and Bill Haage, who is a veteran. They approached the village board, which approved the idea and the location adjacent to the village hall.

Vulcani said the small size of the village, which makes neighbors into friends, lacks the ability to fund passion projects through grants so he’s appealing to the people of the community to honor their own.

“So far, donations have been more than fair,” Vulcani said. “We can’t rely on grants like a lot of bigger towns. If anyone here can kick in, every little bit helps.”

The village has been able to pour a large concrete pad and install flag pole bases for the branches of the military along with one for the U.S. and Prisoners of War, but that phase of the project has emptied the coffers.

The memorial is designed to allow names to be added as needed in plexiglass panels that will surround tables and benches keeping it flexible for future needs.

An account has been set up for donations at Granville National Bank in the name of The Standard Veteran’s Memorial Fund. Donations may be mailed to the bank at 328 S. McCoy St., P.O. Box 344, Granville, IL, 61326 or to the village of Standard at P.O. Box 238, Standard, IL, 61326.

“If people can donate, that’s great,“ Vulcani said, “And whatever we can get, the village will try to kick in as well.”