Veterans Cemetery receives $5,000 boost
CARIBOU, Maine — The idea of renovating the Northern Maine Veteran’s Cemetery committal shelter came about in early spring. Since then, the organization has raised enough money to begin construction, and a $5,000 check from Maine Veterans’ Homes has helped the effort significantly.
NMVC Board Chairman Harry Hafford has been actively seeking donations for the effort since it’s conception, and ended up with a pleasant surprise when he reached out to the Caribou Maine Veterans Home.
“Harry had mailed out letters to community members,” said Melissa Graham, administrator of the Caribou Maine Veterans’ Home. “When I opened it, I knew immediately that his project aligned perfectly to our mission, so I reached out to Devin Robinson, our marketing director, knowing that he would connect with our CEO (Kelly Cash) and help make this happen.
“I had a good chat with Melissa, and then drove up from Augusta to meet with Harry,” said Robinson. “At the end of the day, I thought this was something we should absolutely be involved with. I hadn’t seen the cemetery before and was blown away when I first came up here; it’s so beautiful. I really saw the need for what we were talking about doing.”
After speaking with Graham and Cash, Maine Veterans’ Homes ultimately decided on making a $5,000 donation.
“As far as anyone pushing our fundraising over the edge, you could call this the final donation,” said Hafford, “but the truth is that every single donation helped us move this project along.”
Within the past month, the committal shelter has already seen some noticeable improvements. Windows now surround the upper portion of the structure, the roof has been extended two feet, two benches were added, and doors have been built into the shelter. The front area, however, will stay open.
“Our problem was mostly wind, rain, and snow coming from the northwest,” Hafford said. “It made people totally uncomfortable. Now that we’re taking the wind factor out, rain and snow won’t be blowing in. It won’t be like having a big building, but it will be the next best thing.”
Robinson was pleased with the project’s current progress.
“Having only been here once before,” Robinson said, “it’s really stunning coming back now and seeing all the progress they’ve made so far. I think it’s going to be a fantastic project and people are really going to enjoy it when it’s finished. We are happy to be associated with this kind of quality and excellence.”
Hafford is pleased with the public’s response and generosity, and is grateful for all of the community donations.
“We started in the spring thinking we’d need about $50,000,” Hafford said, “but by the time everything was in place we realized it would be about 70,000. So now with this check, we have enough money to pay all the bills, and that’s a good feeling.”
