veterans walkway of honor
DANBURY -- This year will be the last that the
Danbury War Memorial sells commemorative bricks
honoring local veterans, past and present, on its
Veterans Walkway of Honor.
The walkway, created in 2013, now includes more than
500 bricks engraved with the names and military
branches of local veterans or of residents' family
members who have served.
Brick sales have slowly declined over the past
several years, however, so it is no longer a
cost-effective fundraiser for the memorial, said
volunteer organizer Lee Teicholz.
"I would love to continue putting bricks in at no
charge just to honor our veterans, but that's just
not feasible," he said. "Between the purchasing of
the bricks, the installation costs and the minimum
order fee, we wouldn't be able to raise any money
anymore."
Instead, memorial organizers have decided to end the
sales this fall ahead of the annual Veterans Day
ceremony.
Bricks can be purchased for $75 by anyone interested
in honoring a veteran, whether they live in the city
or not. A larger 8-inch-square brick is available
for $150 and logos can be added for an additional
$25.
Teicholz, a longtime Danbury police officer, never
served in the military, but his father fought in
Europe during World War II and his son now serves in
the Connecticut Army National Guard. He and his wife
Mary Teicholz pitched the idea for the walkway in
2012 when she served on the City Council.
Since then it has raised $71,200, of which more than
$41,000 went to support programs at the Danbury War
Memorial and nearly $14,000 more for eight area
nonprofits serving veterans, Teicholz said.
Lee Teicholz said he'll miss organizing the sales
every year, but will continue to help care for those
that have been laid so far and to volunteer at the
memorial.
"It's just amazing seeing the families go down there
with the person they honored," he said. "It's very
touching, especially for the World War II veterans.
The best part was being able to put many bricks next
to each other for all the family members who
served."
The final deadline to order bricks will be Oct. 8.
Orders can be placed online at
www.veteranswalkwayofhonor.org.