Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies recently presented Montgomery Township and its Veterans Memorial Committee with a $5,000 donation to support the building of the Montgomery Veterans Memorial.
The memorial, to be located in Montgomery Park, will honor all current and former residents of Montgomery Township who have served in the Armed Forces during times of war.
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, headquartered in Montgomery, raised the funds through employee monetary donations tied to specific prizes. Employee ticket sales totaled more than $1,300, which was supplemented by a corporate donation from the company’s leadership to bring the total donation to $5,000.
"Our employees and management felt strongly about supporting the Montgomery Veterans Memorial as a fitting tribute to local veterans," said Johnson & Johnson Communications Manager Iris Grossman in a press release. "We wanted to do our part to see the memorial come to fruition."
To date, Montgomery High School history department teachers and students have assisted in identifying more than 850 veterans who were or are Montgomery residents. Eighteen of these veterans date back to the American Revolution.
The memorial, which is to be set between the Harlingen Soccer Fields and the Arboretum near Pike Brook footbridge in the park, has a tentative groundbreaking date of mid-year 2005.
More than $50,000 of the $300,000 goal to build the memorial has been raised through private and corporate contributions, according to a press release by Montgomery Township Community Information Officer Tamara Garaffa.
Jerry Cianfrocca, chair of the Montgomery Veterans Memorial Committee, called the fund-raising work by local residents and businesses "truly a community-wide effort" and said it was "much appreciated."
Names of past and present resident veterans to be included on the memorial are still being researched. Anyone with information about a veteran to be honored can contact Mr. Cianfrocca at (908) 874-6045.
Those interested in supporting the Veterans Memorial can mail checks or money orders made payable to "The Montgomery Veterans Memorial Fund at PACF" to Princeton Area Community Foundation, 15 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Donations may be tax-deductible and will be acknowledged in writing by the PACF.
