Service and Sacrifice

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of attending “Echoes of Valor: A Patriot Plaza Luncheon” hosted by our friends at The Patterson Foundation. The moving event was the culmination of seven separate events, each celebrating a single artwork installed throughout our community that once appeared as a part of the TESTIMONIES exhibition at Patriot Plaza. This special community space and ceremonial amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery was created and funded in 2010 by The Patterson Foundation to honor veterans, inspire patriotism, and embrace freedom.

The event reminded me of the enduring nature of service and its’ dual nature of impact: the impact on those served and on those who serve.

An important part of our community, indeed communities nationwide, is our Armed Forces and our veterans. We know that these courageous men and women are to thank for our freedoms and for upholding the values that we Americans hold most dear—the values of liberty, unity, and justice.

We know, too, of their sacrifice. From separation from loved ones, to witnessing combat, to paying the ultimate price, what they give up for the sake of upholding these values is substantial.

Having the space and the opportunity to honor courage and heroism and recognize the scope of sacrifice is a great gift to our community, and we appreciate being an integral part of the initiative. The TESTIMONIES series features tablets that each include a photograph and text depicting the sacrifice of service men and women and of their families. They provide intimate insight into the experience of holding both familial love and patriotic devotion at the same time, the heroism of service, the uncertainty of reunion.

Our Community Foundation headquarters is home to one piece, “Morale,” an artwork that reveals the quieter sacrifices of our United States military, and the enduring love that characterizes families that have a member serving.

We are likewise honored to be the trusted stewards of The Patterson Foundation’s endowed fund that ensures the eternal maintenance and upkeep of Patriot Plaza. The moving, meaningful reflection of what it means to be free, and what it takes to ensure freedom, will be available to generations to come through visiting Patriot Plaza and the National Cemetery.

Our community is home to many veterans. In the four-county region our foundation supports—Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties—veterans make up nearly nine percent of the population, well above the national average of six percent. Approximately 91,000 veterans make their home here, making it that much more significant that we have this place of honor, Patriot Plaza.

Many of us know someone, or perhaps you were in the Armed Forces, who has valiantly served our country in this meaningful way. For me, thinking of the great sacrifice and what it means to honorably serve our country—to safeguard freedom and opportunity for every person living here—fills me with profound gratitude and a renewed recognition of the magnitude of impact one person can have when they commit to a greater cause.