With donations from Riverside Chevrolet, Geiger True Value Hardware, Allen Road Walmart, our members, and an amount designated in the budget, Chillicothe Circle of Service School Supplies Committee members delivered $1,710 in gift cards to the seven area schools. These gift cards will be used by teachers to purchase items needed by students but not provided by other organizations who furnish school supplies. Thanks to all involved in this important project!

We happily support Community Needs Agency (CNA) and their efforts to help those in need within IVC School District 321. In September we collected more than 1400 diapers, along with baby wipes, pull-ups, and incontinence underwear for men and women. Darlene Kumpf, president of CNA, expressed her gratitude to Circle members Kitty Baxter and Char Williamson.

September’s featured speaker was Marshel Poff, Quartermaster of VFW Post 4999 and treasurer of the Chillicothe Memorial Commission, who spoke about the history of the Chillicothe Veterans Memorial located at Santa Fe and Chestnut. The project began in 2013 with a team chaired by Tom Harms. Members agreed they didn’t want the memorial to be a parking lot of military memorabilia, so a unique design, including the layout, the Revolutionary War soldier, and the modern-era soldier, was created by several different individuals. Ground was broken in 2015, and the Memorial was dedicated on July 4, 2016. The total cost for the project was about $460K, and purchases were made only when the team had the cash on hand to pay for items. Memorial bricks are still available for purchase. The committee hopes all who visit the Memorial, especially schoolchildren, get a sense of the sacrifices made by our veterans.

For more information on Circle of Service, contact President Carol Solis – at [email protected].