investing in our community | giving
SPEDA Community Foundation
Collaboration and partnership are essential tenets of a successful local economy and to that end, seeking ways in which public and private entities can come together to advance important causes in the community is one way in which SPEDA can enhance those core values. We developed the SPEDA Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, to do just that — offering a tax-deductible opportunity for residents and businesses to contribute to projects in Somerset-Pulaski County. In this way we further our mission of making business about people.
Current Initiatives
SRT 9/11 Memorial
A piece of steel from the World Trade Center Twin Towers that was gifted to the Somerset-Pulaski County Special Response Team will be repurposed as a 9/11 Memorial outside the agency’s new headquarters. The steel has been on-site since 2011, but had to be stored after a fire that extensively damaged SRT’s headquarters in 2021.
The new memorial will feature two black granite columns measuring 11 feet tall and 17 inches square — a proportional size to the Twin Towers when they stood in New York City — and will hold the piece of the north tower I-beam weighing 3,000 pounds between them.
Several sponsorship opportunities are available to support the SRT 9/11 steel memorial:
Tower Sponsor (two available) — $2,500
Gold Sponsor — $1,000
Silver Sponsor — $500
Bronze Sponsor — $250
All donors will be recognized on-site with a bronze placard. A second bronze placard will tell the story of the gifted steel.
DONATE
Veterans Memorial Park
SPEDA Community Foundation has so far raised more than $250,000 for a veterans’ park in downtown Somerset, a place to honor veterans and warriors whose commitment to their country allows us to have the freedoms we do. The park is currently under construction, and sponsorship opportunities are still available:
First & Farmers National Bank is the title sponsor of Somerset’s Veterans Memorial Park, but there are other sponsorship opportunities available for individuals and businesses.
Wall of Honor: $100
A plaque on the Wall of Honor with the name of the donator or in honor/memory of a loved one.
Bricks: $500
Bricks will be engraved with the name of the donator or in honor/memory of a loved one.
Trees: $5,000
A tree will be planted and accompanied by a placard in the name of the donator or in honor/memory of a loved one.
Benches: $10,000
Benches will include matching placards including the name of the donator, or in honor/memory of a loved one.
DONATE
How it works
The SPEDA board of directors will select which projects in Somerset-Pulaski County the community foundation will support. Residents can make tax-deductible donations any time by clicking “Donate Now” at the bottom of this page.
“We want to be innovative and creative in our way of trying to get things done on behalf of the community. By creating the foundation we can now offer a vehicle for pinpointing and targeting projects, initiatives and endeavors and raising private donations to help accomplish them.”
Chris Girdler | SPEDA President and CEO
