Student project will elevate the profile of local veterans

Members of Wallkill Valley Regional High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter made a presentation to the Hardyston Township Council regarding their project to honor local veterans.

In a Nov. 18 Zoom meeting, Brian Hall, one of the Wallkill Valley FBLA Membership vice presidents, said the chapter’s 2020-21 Partnership with Business Project is focused on honoring veterans in four districts: Ogdensburg, Hardyston, Franklin, and Hamburg.

FBLA member Madison Pellicier talked about the chapter’s involvement with the Hardyston community. “One of our goals is to contribute to our communities by partnering with various organizations, businesses and individuals,” she said.

Brian and Madison said they plan to create 18-by-24-inch lawn signs; each would include a photo of a local veteran, their rank, their branch in the military, and their number of years of service. Each sign would cost $25 and be placed on the veteran’s front lawn.

They asked the council if they would be able to supply information on the veterans in their town. The township manager, Carrine Piccolo-Kaufer, said the township keeps a roster of all veterans from Hardyston, including their names, ranks, and years of service. The township also has a mailing list with all of their addresses, and invites them every year to attend the township’s Veteran’s Day commemoration.

The FBLA plans to hold a ceremony in each town on Memorial Day weekend next year. Their goal is to choose a location in a nice area of each town with the American flag close by.

The FBLA will be holding fundraisers to pay for the signs. The Hardyston council pledged $500 to support the project, and offered to assist the FBLA in anything else they might need to bring it to completion by Memorial Day.

FLBA member Annalisa Caldera, who is also working on the project, could not attend the meeting.

Editor’s note: This article has been revised to correct the name of Annalisa Caldera and Brian Hall’s role in the Wallkill Valley FBLA. The original article may have caused confusion about the nature of the FBLA-township partnership: the chapter asked for help only in getting veterans’ names and did not ask for the money that was offered. The Advertiser News South regrets the errors.