Veterans Day is just weeks away, a time when our thoughts turn to the people, living and deceased, who made a tough choice to serve and put country before self. Here in Evesham Township, there is no better place for reflection about the sacrifices our service members have made than the Veterans Commemorative Walkway outside of the Evesham Township Municipal Complex.
Engraved bricks along the walkway leading to a stone memorial honor veterans both living and deceased, displaying their names for all who visit the site to see and remember.
Residents wishing to add the name of a loved one who served to the walkway can purchase a brick for $50. Each brick contains enough space for 39 characters.
For more information about purchasing a brick, contact the township’s Director of Community Affairs Monica Vandenberg by calling (856) 985-9792 or emailing vandenbergm@evesham-nj.gov.
According to Vandenberg, Evesham Township’s Veterans Day observance this year is expected to take place the Friday before the holiday, Nov. 8, at the Veterans Commemorative Walkway.
Each year the public is invited to attend the event, which features special speakers and presentations. More information will be available in the next few weeks as the holiday approaches.
As director of the township’s division of community affairs and senior and disability services, Vandenberg implements programs, outreach, events and activities aimed at enhancing quality of life for residents. Recently, she has been working to expand the scope of services her division can offer to cover not just seniors, but veterans and disabled individuals as well.
She identifies programs and services outside of the township that connect seniors, adults with disabilities and veterans with a variety of services needed to live independently.
“Seniors were already established, so we’ve now become a relatively well-oiled resource center for (veterans and the disabled),” said Vandenberg. “I personally feel that veterans affairs is huge, and Evesham always had concerns but never really had a place where they can come and we can do our best to answer their questions or at least direct them where they need to go.”
Veterans Voice is a service she has recently established that connects veterans who wish to speak with another person they can relate to who may share some of their experiences.
“If you want to speak one-on-one with a vet, no matter whether it’s for assistance or if you just want to speak to someone, we have that. You can call my office and I’ll make arrangements with another vet because I have a list of people that will do that,” said Vandenberg.
She is also expanding her division’s Senior Transport Program, a free service that will pick up residents at their home and take them anywhere within the township, to include veterans as well.
“It’s growing every week, how we can better understand our veterans. We want them to feel comfortable enough that they don’t have to go to the state and wait three months for an answer, we can interject for them. They can reach out to us first, it’s a little more personal when you’re in the township, and if we can’t answer it, we’ll find the answer,” said Vandenberg.
More information about the township’s division of community affairs and senior and disability services is available on the township’s website at evesham-nj.org.
