Vermilion County CF Awards $15K for Ernie Pyle Veterans Park
The Vermillion County Community Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to the Friends of Ernie Pyle for the continued development of an Ernie Pyle & Veterans Memorial Park located directly north of the existing Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
“The planned restroom/concessions building will be used to provide ADA-compliant restroom facilities for visitors to the museum (currently, there is only a portable toilet available during the museum season) and for the planned memorial park," Steve Key, president of Friends of Ernie Pyle said. "The concession stand will be used by the museum and other community organizations during events held in the new park. Other components of the proposed park will include a performance pavilion and event lawn, a statue of Ernie Pyle, a World War II era Victory Garden, and landscaping for the park. The park will serve as a gathering place for various community events, either sponsored by the Friends of Ernie Pyle who operate the museum, or other community organizations."
Kim Eaton, VCCF director of community engagement, added: “The memorial park will assist Vermillion County in being a more attractive place for residents as they'll have a green space to enjoy, either for individual family picnics or for organized events by the museum or other community organizations. The restrooms specifically will meet the need of the Friends of Ernie Pyle to provide permanent toilet facilities that would be accessible to anyone, which will help us accommodate all visitors and encourage the scheduling of bus tours and classroom visits to bring more people to our museum to fulfill the goal of preserving the legacy of the most famous of World War II correspondents. The pavilion will encourage community entities to create new events designed to entertain or educate the community in a green, outdoor setting. The whole project assists in the development of greater quality of life experiences for both residents and visitors to Vermillion County.”
Vermillion County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Western Indiana Community Foundation, is a not-for-profit public charity established in 1996 to serve donors, award grants and scholarships, and provide leadership to improve all of Vermillion County.