Article courtesy of the below:
By Clint Iams, NAFCA Executive Director, Amity, PA
NAFCA kicked off 2021 with the service project for Operation Second Chance in January. It is only fitting we were able to conclude the year with an impromptu service project at Arlington National Cemetery on December 20th.
Our association has a long history of giving back at Arlington; we replace dilapidated fence at our nation’s cemetery with new material donated by our members. Volunteers provide more than enough labor; during a typical project it’s customary to have 40 to 50 people attending and contributing to the service project.
As you may remember, we were attempting to do a large service project in early October. Unfortunately, the pandemic changed our plans yet again and we had to cancel the project. In preparation for the October project, Ultra Aluminum Manufacturing sent 140 feet of black ornamental aluminum to Arlington for us to install as part of the project.
Around Thanksgiving, Chief Warrant Officer Rios contacted us asking if we have the ability to store this material elsewhere; it was blocking their limited storage yard. We contacted Hurricane Fence as they are local to Arlington to see if they would mind storing this material until next year. In conversation the idea was born to schedule an impromptu service project.
Six people from four different companies gathered earlier this week to install the fence. We would like to thank Ultra Aluminum Manufacturing for donating the material, Hurricane Fence for taking the lead to provide the main power and tools necessary to install the fence, Builder’s Fence, CertainTeed, and Log Cabin Fence for sending additional people to provide the manpower to complete this project.
We also took this moment to present past President Scott Ruete with a plaque commemorating his service as president for 2019 and 2020. In a normal year, our incoming/current president would present this during our annual meeting. Obviously, little has been normal about these past two years.
We are enthusiastically planning for our Arlington 2022 project. It will most likely occur in October 2022. We hope to see you there!
