Mission Statement

The Original Mission:

As originally envisioned, the mission of VMPWI was to be for exclusively achieving some means of refurbishing the Bicentennial Memorial Flag Pavilion located in Veterans Memorial Park. We got permission from the City of Wichita to proceed with that plan. The several veterans groups who also had memorials within the Park clearly rejected the idea of joining in that project and made it abundantly clear that they would not take park in it nor would they have any part of bringing their several memorials into the project.

Fund raising began and Rep. Todd Tiahrt became aware of our efforts. He offered to help if we would agree to "refurbish all other Veteran's Memorials in the City of Wichita." We therefore made a survey of all such memorials outside of Veterans Memorial Park and ascertained what repairs needed to be made. That information was conveyed to Rep. Tiahrt who shared it with Senator Sam Brownback. Together they submitted two separate Grant Requests as earmarked bills in the FY 05 Federal Budget. Tiahrt's bill was for $250,000 exclusively for the Flag Pavilion, while Brownback's bill was for $350,000 to be used to refurbish all other memorials described in the request.

Both budget requests were approved and signed in law by the President in late 2004. Funds actually arrived in July of 2005. The Flag Pavilion money was allocate tot he City of Wichita which now assumed full responsibility for that installation under HUD Grant B-05-SP-0487. This work was successfully completed in November of 2007. VMP:I assumed management responsibility for HUD Grant B-05-SP-KS085.

A secondary mission of VMPWI was development and initiation of a plan to keep those memorials maintained if no other entity was at hand to do it.

The Revised Mission Statement for VMPWI is defined in two parts:

Part I:

Successfully complete the work of Operation Ensign, i.e. Refurbishing those Veterans' Memorials specifically described in the Scope of HUD Grant B-05-SP-KS0085 efficiently and within the parameters of time and budget. These are those Veterans' Memorials in Wichita (Excluding Veterans Memorial Park) which were clearly identified in the Grant, in need of repair and not otherwise endowed or provided for by an identifiable agency.

Part II:

Develop a plan for assuring continuing maintenance of those Veterans Memorials not otherwise endowed and establish and fund an endowment to provide the resources needed to keep those Memorials in good condition.

Details of Planning

Part One: Management

The Board of Directors of Veterans Memorial Park of Wichita, Inc. will select an appropriate agent to act as Project Manager for HUD Grant B-05-SP-KS 0085, assure that the Grant is completed within the terms and requirements of HUD and other Government regulations, maintain financial control of expenditures under the Grant and assure that all required reports and reviews are accomplished to assure compliance.

Progress Report:

Three out of the four projects in the Grant are completed.
The fourth will be completed in this calendar year.

Part Two

  1. Responsibility for future care. Currently specific veteran’s organizations are assuming care and management responsibility for a number of Veterans Memorials. Each of them presently possesses a reserve of internal funding needed to defray the costs of maintaining their own memorials. It is assumed that the goal of the Veterans community will be to gain access to the VMPWI-managed Future Funding Plan reserve in the event repairs or rehabilitation beyond routine periodic servicing are required or there are no longer living members of that group. It is our current plan that VMPWI will continue to administer those funds, with each separate sponsoring group applying to VMPWI for access to them when needed.

  2. Funding Plan. Develop a plan to raise the necessary funds required to establish the needed capital, to invest the proceeds at such rates of interest that growth will occur according to the desired plan. It is suggested that, as a target, the assumption will be that the present list of Veterans Memorials will be refurbished to such a condition that no significant repairs work will be anticipated for a period of ten years from establishing the fund. (2007) It is assumed, therefore, that those agencies presently responsible for the maintenance of the memorials will continue to provide needed routine maintenance in a diligent manner as required. It will be the goal of the Future Funding Plan to continue to raise new capital. It must be further assumed that such organizations desiring to enjoy access to that Future Funding Plan will contribute a portion of those existing or new funds to nourish the Future Funding Plan in the time period between 2007 and the year 2017 to augment the growth of the accumulated and reinvested amount. Contribution of financial aid to the Fund will be a condition required to gain access.