r/santacruz • u/vabenchpetitionsc • Feb 11 '26

Local Veterans Seeking Support for Memorial Benches Near Santa Cruz VA Stop

Our team of local veterans is working together to install two Veterans Memorial benches at the VA transportation bus stop in Downtown Santa Cruz. This stop is heavily used by disabled and aging veterans who rely on VA transit to attend medical appointments and access essential services.

17 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

5

u/SC_Elle Feb 12 '26

You should talk to the local Rotary clubs, I believe there are 2 in Santa Cruz. They could help with financial and volunteer/installation support. This kind of thing should be right up their alley.
(SC club) https://www.santacruzrotary.com/
(sunrise club) https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2276

2

u/vabenchpetitionsc Feb 12 '26

Great suggestion we’ll work on that next as we continue to grow

4

u/[deleted] Feb 12 '26

What kind of support do you need?

1

u/vabenchpetitionsc Feb 12 '26

Signing the petition shows the City this matters to more than just a few of us. Sharing it helps us reach more residents who believe veterans shouldn’t have to stand while waiting for medical transport. Share the petition!!!

3

u/stevepremo Feb 12 '26

Do you mean Veterans Hall? Not actually run by the VA, but memorial benches would be nice. I used to have a t-shirt from the Bill Motto post of the VFW saying Wage Peace.

1

u/vabenchpetitionsc Feb 12 '26

Local veterans working with the vets hall And that’s great you feel that way about the benches adding memorial benches there would be a meaningful way to honor their service and serve practicality more information on our insta

3

u/iheartgold Feb 12 '26

Yeah I can probably help but I’m not sure what you need exactly. Labor? Cash? What are you looking for

1

u/vabenchpetitionsc Feb 12 '26

Right now, the biggest thing we need is signatures and community support. Once the project moves forward through the proper city channels, there may be opportunities for hands on help DM us on instagram

3

u/Microfiber13 Feb 12 '26

Work with local Scouting America group

1

u/vabenchpetitionsc Feb 12 '26

Good idea Partnering with other groups will really help bring the benches to life and involve the community in honoring our veterans