MOUNT VERNON — On Monday afternoon, the Knox County Board of Commissioners met with three representatives from The Sanctuary of Danville, and also with people interested in erecting a statue in remembrance of families that had lost children.
Commissioner Bob Wise said the commissioners were interested in how things were going for The Sanctuary, and the services it provides. Commissioner Allen Stockberger also said the purpose of the meeting was to begin the process of collaborating and sharing information among organizations in Knox County which provide services to seniors. Barbara Mickley, coordinator of programs for The Sanctuary, presented statistics on the services provided by the organization, and much of the meeting was spent discussing finances.
The statistics showed the number of hot meals, delivered and on site, increased from 3,841 between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007, to 4,205 during the same period this year. The number of clients receiving services through the homemaker program and lawn mowing program was also projected to increase next month.
Stockberger said The Sanctuary was a fiscally responsible organization, and complimented its transparency.
For their second meeting of the afternoon, the commissioners met with representatives of the Mount Vernon Area Chapter of The Compassionate Friends, an organization that offers support to families that have lost children. Sheree Carter of Compassionate Friends told the commissioners her organization would like to erect a statue to commemorate families that have experienced the death of a child.
Don Rogers of Ralston Art Memorials Inc. said that after the organization approached the city looking for a location for the statue, the city referred it to the county commissioners.
Carter and Rogers presented preliminary plans for the statue, which would be of three angels, one adult-sized and two child-sized. Made of granite, the statue would be about 8 feet at its highest point. The commissioners were receptive to the proposed statue, and there was some discussion as to the best location.
Several locations were discussed, and it was agreed that a possible location would be near the Opportunity Knox Employment Center on U.S. 36. Stockberger said if this was a possible location, the next step would be for Rogers and members of The Compassionate Friends to visit the site to see if it would be appropriate for the statue, then schedule another meeting in the near future and decide whether to proceed with the project.
