Troy Culbertson, administrator for the Illinois Veterans Home, called the work of the Cherish the Moments group “invaluable.” “Their attention to items such as new park benches and restoration painting of the wrought-iron fencing has really enhanced those areas,” he said.
QUINCY — A simple Facebook post asking to fix rusty benches eventually led to the creation of a group of people dedicated to raising money to beautify the grounds at the Illinois Veterans Home.
Teresa Pickle and Cathy Shanks, retired nurses at the home, have combined with Linda King to coordinate Cherish the Memories, which raises money to supplement the work by the state and the Veterans Administration at the home.
“The VA, they’ll maintain the buildings,” Pickle said. “But they don’t maintain the extras.”
“There’s no funds for the extras,” Shanks said.
One of the most visible extras is the renovation work on the “Soldiers and Sailors Home” sign at the entrance to the home near the intersection of Eighth and Locust, which recently was completed.