Veterans memorial site ready when they are
Work on the Holcombe Area Veterans Memorial website continues, as noted at a committee meeting Jan. 21. Dave Conrad, committee member, says the group’s next step is to get their PayPal information to website designer Andy Strom, as well as pay the fees for the site.
Conrad also says Strom wrote a letter to the memorial organizers, telling them the website is ready to go live whenever the group is ready for it to, along with their Facebook page.
Strom also says he has not gotten the photos on the website.
“It took a little bit of doing to get to this point,” said Conrad.
During last month’s meeting, it was noted that the memorial needed a federal identification number, in order to set up their PayPal account. Jim Mataczynski, group chairperson, reported that has been taken care of in the time since.
Mataczynski also reminded everyone, that the memorial is through the Town of Lake Holcombe.
“We’re not a separate entity,” said Mataczynski. “We do not have a separate federal employee identification number.”
Mataczynski also talked about the group’s tax deductible status. He says he and Conrad talked to the IRS, and they confirmed donations to the memorial will be tax deductible.
Conrad also said that the group can request a government information letter, to show their tax deductible status to those considering a donation. Conrad says he already brought the information to Mataczynski and they should have the letter in two weeks.
“I would suggest that when we send out the business letters, that we also include that with them,” said Conrad.
Conrad also said donors should be provided with a receipt.
“Up until this point, we’ve been sending out a thank you letter or a thank you card, to each and every one that has made a donation,” said Mataczynski.
Mataczynski says they could consider getting a receipt that meets IRS standards, to include with the thank you note.
Memorial planners also heard an update on how meetings with the townships in the Lake Holcombe School District are going. Mataczynski and Conrad plan to visit each of the townships in the district, to share what the veterans memorial is planning and ask to get on the agenda for their annual meetings, to request a donation toward a flagpole and installation, at that time.
Mataczynski says they do not know if they will get the full amount to sponsor a flag pole from each township.
“But, we do know that we need eight flag poles,” said Mataczynski.
He says, if they can get the eight poles purchased with donations from the townships, he would call that a win for everyone.
So far, Conrad says they have been well-received at the townships they visited and have gotten a lot of questions.
“We’re getting the word out,” said Conrad. “We’re out there talking.”
Committee member Ginna Young also requested permission from the group, to move forward with a fundraising idea for the memorial. Young suggested the group sell pizza kits, through the Little Caesars fundraising program.
“Every sale, we get $6,” said Young, after talking about the products themselves. “So if we got 100 sales, that’s $600 right there, that’s actually no cost to us.”
Young offered to spread the word of the sales and do much of the legwork.
“Where would the pizzas get delivered?” asked Judy Simpson, group secretary.
Young suggested the pizza pick-up could be organized as a no-contact drive-though, possibly held at the Lake Holcombe Lions pavilion or the Lake Holcombe Food Pantry, since the products are paid for when they are ordered.
Young also says the fundraiser would give the group another opportunity to spread the word about the memorial.
The group gave Young the go-ahead to start the fundraiser.
Members also agreed to put elections on the agenda for the next meeting, as the current officers for the committee have been serving for about two 1/2 years.
