About us
We are volunteers with a passion for preserving, honoring and teaching others about the storied legacy created by veterans affiliated with the Coos Bay School District. Many of our fathers joined the ranks of 16 million who served in World War II. Some of our children answered the nation's call to arms and volunteered to go in harm's way, defeating oppressive regimes and freeing millions of people. Some continue to serve as Army Rangers, Navy SEALS, Air Force and Navy fighter pilots and Marine riflemen.
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We are driven by a sense of urgency. According to statistics released by the Veteran's Administration, our World War II vets are dying at a rate of approximately 492 a day. This means there are approximately 855,070 veterans remaining of the 16 million who served our nation in World War II. We feel a real sense of urgency to complete our tribute to these members of the "greatest generation."
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The Coos Bay Schools Community Foundation acts as fiscal agent for our Tribute Hall Fundraising Committee, offering tax-exempt status to donors.
Update on progress - Nov 22, 2017
We have defined three concurrent tasks: archiving, fundraising, and pre-construction actions.
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Archiving: We seek to identify all eligible veterans, collect and archive information about their affiliation and service, and develop a web-based relational database. When fully implemented, this database will be accessible through the web and at a central location in the Hall, allowing veterans and their families to understand, recognize, and celebrate their service through interactive multimedia displays. If the veteran or his family provide enough information, we hope to build virtual shadowboxes that include rank, badges, medals and ribbons. Additional information can be built with veteran-provided photos and service-related documents.
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Fundraising: We continue to make incremental progress toward our fundraising goal of $150,000 by January 1st and have submitted grant requests to large foundations, trusts and local civic and service groups. We seek $100,000 in cash and the other $50,000 through in-kind donations of products, services, and labor. As of Thanksgiving, we have secured $70,000 cash and $57,000 in-kind donations. We have approached local benefactors and philanthropists.
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Construction: Stuart Woods (Marshfield 1971 alumnus) continues to develop engineered plans to be submitted for approval of permits; we hope to break ground on the foundation this spring. As we work with a general contractor, we will continue to solicit in-kind donations of products, services, and volunteer labor. Our goal is to offset at least $195,000 of the estimated $420,000 cost through such donations.
Our Mission:
Four pillars provide the foundation for Tribute Hall and define its mission:
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Create an institution and a network for collaboration that reaches within the county to inspire innovation by veterans’ support groups and beyond the county to engage new audiences. Work with Service museums, local museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before the Hall was created.
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Provide an opportunity and a resource for those interested in American military culture to explore and celebrate this history through semi-permanent, themed displays and regularly updated interactive multimedia exhibitions.
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Help all county residents see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by veterans’ distinctive contributions to local economic, philanthropic and educational development.
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Explore what it means to be an American and understand how shared core values like integrity, sacrifice, duty and personal courage are reflected in military history and culture.