The Virginia War Memorial Education Center
Case for Support
Mission, History and Programs:
The Virginia War Memorial honors all Virginia veterans, and those killed in combat during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm are particularly honored in the Memorial’s Shrine of Memory. The Memorial’s mission is to Honor our Veterans, Preserve our History, Educate our Children, and Inspire Patriotism in All.
The Memorial was completed in 1956 as a Shrine and Memorial for World War II and Korean War Virginia veterans. Following Vietnam, the Shrine was enlarged in 1982 to honor Virginians killed in action in that conflict. In 1996, the Virginians killed in action during Desert Storm were recognized. The Shrine now honors 11,634 veterans whose names are engraved on its glass and stone walls. At some point in time, it is expected the Commonwealth will honor those who fell in combat in the War on Terror. Over 100 Virginian veterans have given their lives thus far in this battle.
Educational Programs and Outreach
Today the Memorial is a living organization comprised of trustees, a small staff, and numerous volunteers seeking to make our veterans’ sacrifices relevant to students and the general public. Educational and outreach programs developed since 1997 include presentations to veterans groups, service organizations, and students across the Commonwealth.
Programs specifically tailored to youth have been developed. Examples are Pearl Harbor Day and D-Day seminar events in which students and teachers in small groups examine these key events witnessing educational films and in discussions with actual survivors.
The Memorial hosts monthly events keyed to veteran commemorations such as Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day as well as numerous troop rallies, JROTC events, troop homecomings, and other patriotic ceremonies that attract a thousand or more people. All these events are free and open to the public and are staffed with numerous volunteers. As an example of visitation, we experienced over 1,000 people for the past Veterans’ Day Ceremony.
Virginians at War
The centerpiece of the Memorial’s educational programs is its award-winning Virginians at War film series of twelve films depicting first-person veteran accounts. Over 750 Virginia veterans have been interviewed, creating an extensive database for historians and students to research individuals’ stories and perceptions.
The Memorial edits many of the interviews of those who participated in the same history-changing event and together with national archive period film, photographs, animated maps, graphics, and music, create films that tell the who, what , when, and where of the event. In 2004 the first six completed WW II event film segments, each designed for 1 hour history classes, accompanied with lesson plans correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning, were distributed as Volume I to all of the state’s nearly 1,400 public and private middle and high schools as well as higher education institutions and ROTC units. Development and distribution was accomplished at no cost to the recipients or to the taxpayer. Nearly $1 million has been donated in support of these educational initiates to date.
Surveys and anecdotal evidence tell us that Volume I is a very popular teaching tool used frequently in the classroom. Teachers report that the first-person accounts come across as heartfelt and true and help their students learn better than other available resources. The feedback generally concurs that the film medium resonates with the students since their lives revolve so much around the stimuli of television and computers.
In mid-2006 the Memorial completed filming, editing, and production of six new film segments that make up Volume II, three of World War II events, two of Korean War events , and one segment about the Vietnam War. Although Volume II has not yet been packaged for distribution, these six segments were combined with the six films of Volume I to create a five-disk DVD set that was aired on all Virginia Public Television Stations in 2006.
Current Project Description:
Growth and Challenge
The Virginians at War series has been a successful medium for the Memorial’s outreach in achieving its educational mission. The combination of the Virginians at War, ongoing marketing, and the hosting of events, has raised the Memorial’s awareness to an unprecedented level and the corresponding increase of visitors has frequently outgrown what the facility can accommodate due to inadequate meeting space and general visitor services.
Numerous veteran groups like the American Legion, the Navy League, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars use the Memorial’s facilities for organizational meetings and the numbers of local residents and traveling tourists are increasing as the Memorial has become active in Richmond’s Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau and other marketing groups.
Unfortunately many groups must be turned away and individual visitors cannot be provided adequate support because the existing auditorium, although having a capacity of 200, cannot support multiple groups for education and event meetings. Over 18,000 people visited the War Memorial in 2006, a 300 percent the last seven years. The Memorial’s facilities include three temporary trailers and overall space is inadequate to serve the mission.
Meeting the Need
An Education Center has been planned to create the space for multiple groups, to expand the educational opportunities and outreach for school children and visitors and to provide for adequate visitor services and administrative space.
The state provided funding in 2005, on a 50%/50% match basis to provide schematic designs for approximately 17,000 square feet of additional space, (Current space includes 8,900 square feet and three temporary trailers), and an improved outdoor amphitheatre to seat 800 visitors. This design provides the essential space to accommodate multiple school and adult groups in educational and patriotic programs as well as the casual tourist who is exploring one of Virginia’s treasures.
Specifically, the Education Center will include space and facilities to provide:
- A multi-purpose room, a theater, and a training room to accommodate increasing school field trips, veteran groups, and general visitors and tourists. Currently visits to the Memorial are broken up or delayed due to insufficient meeting, display and research space.
- Dedicated space to display the Memorial’s award-winning educational film series, Virginians at War, which cannot be shown today if the existing auditorium is in use.
- Access space for proper storage and access to the Memorial Research Library, which consists of books, posters, magazines, newspapers and films. These items are currently unavailable for educational research and the general public due to lack of space.
- Space for modest exhibit kiosks to highlight the wars in which our veterans have served and sacrificed.
- Space for the Memorial’s Salute to the Virginia Veterans computer educational programs for visiting groups.
The program is a computer database offering access to the names, records, deeds, and pictures of thousands of Virginians who served their country in times of war. With a touch of the finger, one can trace the actions of Virginians who have given their lives, as well as many others who served in the armed forces since the beginning of World War II.
- Permanent staff, volunteer, artifact, and Research Library space currently housed in three overcrowded temporary trailers. The original Memorial planners did not anticipate sponsoring programs, support staff, and educational outreach.
- Sufficient facilities for patriotic and veterans’ events at the Memorial, currently supported by numerous off-site resources.
- Improved outdoor amphitheater space for 800 patrons to allow safety of use and handicapped patron access.
Education Center Budget:
Based on the schematic drawings, preliminary budget estimates for the new construction total $6,100,000.
The plan is to fund the Center as a public/private partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia funding $4 million and the private sector campaign providing the additional $2 million. At end 2006, the Commonwealth had committed $550,000 to the Education Center. An additional $100,000 has been donated or committed from private sources early in the campaign process.
The Opportunity
· Youth and the general public have a need to be aware of the sacrifices made by veterans and the public in securing freedom for many nations.
· Educational resources are lacking in the schools of the Commonwealth to adequately teach the lessons of significant events in our history, the human contribution, and the interaction of nations in this effort.
· The Virginia War Memorial has created award winning programs which capture the human contribution and provide the outreach to sustain this educational need.
· The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to over 750,000 veterans and 78,000 active duty troops. The Virginia War Memorial the only state memorial which honors all of her sons and daughters who died in combat since WW II.
· The War Memorial does not have adequate facilities to accommodate the growing numbers of visitors and veteran utilization. The Education Center will creating the space for all visitors to learn about America’s wars and Virginia veterans’ roles in these conflicts since World War II.
· The opportunity to name the Education Center is available for $2 million dollars. Other naming opportunities exist for significant gifts. A local foundation has provided an initial $50,000 “pacesetter” gift to the Capital Campaign.
/Adm John Hekman (MOAA member of the Richmond Chapter) who is the Chairman of the War Memorial Foundation.
21 Jan 2007 |
