SWAMPSCOTT — The War Memorial Scholarship Funds Committee’s “Buy a Brick” fundraiser has yielded $3,400 so far in efforts to build a walkway engraved with names and messages from the community.
Committee member Jodi Watts went into detail about the progress of the fundraiser and the committee’s ultimate goal of doubling the amount raised so far.
“It’s going really well so far. We have a really simple order process where people can go online and do their order and pay through the town’s digital system. … It’s all automated, which has been a great help,” Watts said. “We’ve currently raised $3,400 in funds.”
Watts said while the committee has raised over three thousand dollars, it hopes to keep going until the donation deadline of August 4.
“This is something new that we’ve been discussing and working on, but another thing that we have in mind is doing a kind of ‘unveiling’ of the bricks on Veterans Day,” Watts said. “By that time, we’ll have them in place and have beverages for the community to enjoy. … The plan is not just to invite those who bought a brick, but anybody else who wants to come.”
She continued, explaining the brick walkway that leads to town hall will be decorated with the various donations from community members. “It’s already a brick path, so we’ll be taking out some of the plain bricks that we have out there and replacing them with the customized ones,” she said. “I talked with Interim Town Administrator Gino Cresta, and he said it would be easy to install.”
Watts then took a second to talk about a misconception that’s taken place during the committee’s efforts to raise the appropriate funds.
“Because we’re the War Memorial Scholarship Funds Committee, some people were thinking that the customized bricks had to be about a veteran, or somebody who has passed away. … It is a fundraiser, but it’s also a good thing for community members to do,” Watts said. “It doesn’t have to be about a veteran. It can be about anybody.”
She cited more generic inscriptions — “Beloved grandmother,” “Cherished teacher,” “Gamer extraordinaire” — as some of the possible options for community members to select, though the inscriptions can be completely customized.
“I’d like to double the amount raised so far, that’s my goal,” Watts said. She added that once the August 4 deadline passes, the committee plans to keep the option open for community members to buy an inscribed brick. However, the August 4 date is still the hard deadline for residents to have their bricks included in the walkway, and the committee will release more information accordingly.