Honoring Heroes
Honoring Heroes
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ELKINS -- As if taking care of three Blue Star Memorial Marker flower gardens wasn't enough, a local teenager has also taken it upon himself to personally raise money for a planned Rosie the Riveter statue in downtown Elkins.
Ashton White, a senior at Elkins High School, has always had a passion for members of the Armed Services. And because of his admiration, he has volunteered to not only care for a trio of gardens in the area, but is leading a movement to raise money for a life-sized statue at Elkins Veterans Memorial Park.
"I'm very impressed that a young man who is going to be a senior in high school wants to give so much back to the community and honor our veterans," Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain. "It's just something he wants to do on his own and it speaks volumes of him and the way he was raised. I have no doubt that we will be very successful in his life moving forward."
The proposed statue will be part of a project that is being spearheaded by the City of Elkins and the Emma Scott Garden Club. Along with the statue, the project's plans include a new parking lot, walkways and other additions to honor all branches of the military.
"We are in the planning stage for the park right now," Marco said. "We are trying to identify funding for the project. We have an amazing Veterans Memorial right now and we are just trying to transition the area into a Veteran's Park, which would be a great way to honor all our veterans."
To help fund the park project, which has a price tag of approximately $70,000, White has decided to put together a bike-a-thon and will seek donations from businesses and individuals to sponsor him for each mile he rides, or by lump sum.
White, who is a member of the West Virginia National Interscholastic Cycling League, will be distributing sponsorship forms throughout the areas or can be contacted for sponsorship at contact@appalachiananimal.net.
The Blue Star Memorial Program was developed by the National Garden Club as a way to honor all men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Services. The Blue Star became an icon during World War II, when it was represented on flags placed in homes and businesses of families that had loved ones away at war.
White, who is also a member of the Emma Scott Garden Club and the local chapter of the Civil Air Patrol, plans to provide landscaping and pruning of existing flowers at the gardens. In the future, White plans to add red, white and blue perennials at the three sites.
The gardens White is caring for are located on Graceland Drive across from Walgreens, the Elkins City Park and Little Arlington Cemetery.
"Ashton is just a fantastic young man who volunteered to take care of three of our Blue Star Gardens," ESGC president Linda Shomo said. "Right after joining the Garden Club he jumped right into working on them. He had the one across from Walgreens looking fantastic in no time at all. I'm confident he will keep all of them looking incredible."
White is captain of the Elkins High School Robotics Team and is also a member of the school's swim and track teams. His goal is to attend the Air Force or Naval Academy after graduating.