Funds Will Support Upkeep Of Veterans Memorial
Memorial funds raised following the death of Collette Barry-Rec for the local VFW have now been donated to Rockbridge County to help in the upkeep of the Veterans Memorial in Courthouse Square.
Past VFW Post 1499 Commander Bob Hopkins presented the $3,000 check to L.E. Ayres, chair of the Rockbridge County Board Supervisors on Nov. 12.
Hopkins said in a statement to The News-Gazette, “Collette Barry-Rec was a dedicated friend to Rockbridge area veterans. In 2004, she established her Care-Box Program whereby she raised money, purchased food and personal hygiene items, boxed and mailed over 2,800 care boxes to service men and women serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas remote places.”
Hopkins said she also spearheaded efforts to help veterans in the Rockbridge area with home repairs, as well as provided careboxes to local Guardsmen as they went into nursing homes and around Virginia to do virus testing during the pandemic.
“When Collette died last year, her family asked that any funds donated in her memory be sent to the local VFW. An amazing $3,000 was sent in by dozens of citizens to honor her memory,” Hopkins continued.
He noted that one veteran with multiple combat tours donated $500 in memory of Barry-Rec for the care-boxes he received and was able to share with other Marines.
“We in the VFW wanted to use those funds in an appropriate way to perpetuate her legacy,” Hopkins continued. “It was decided that the money should be donated to Rockbridge County to be added to the perpetual care account for the Veterans Memorial. This is something Collette would have liked, and the fund has now been replenished to its original 2000 amount of $11,000.”
