It took the Slatington Veterans Memorial Committee over a year to plan and construct the 500-pound granite monument located in Memorial Park.

The labor of love was unveiled on Veterans Day and completely funded through community and contractor donations. During the Nov. 11 ceremony, more than 300 residents attended to catch a glimpse of the remembrance statue as military branch flags flew high above the park.According to committee member Robert Stettner, the final cost for the memorial came close to $70,000 at the close of December.To help with the cost of the monument, the committee organized a brick fundraising campaign, where anyone can purchase a brick to be engraved in honor of a loved one who has served in any of the seven branches of military."Brick orders are still coming in, and we should have the third bed filled soon," Stettner said. "Which would mean we sold nearly 750 bricks. We are still fundraising for the last few thousand dollars needed to pay all the construction costs. We are applying for grants, and are planning a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for late January."Bricks can still be purchased at any municipality building, including Slatington's borough hall."Bricks purchased over the winter, will not be installed until spring," Stettner said."Our committee is really pleased with everything, the response and support from the public, the contractors we hired, the kind words and compliments about the memorial."We have seen many people visit the memorial on a daily basis."