October 18, 2023—The Florence Copper Community Foundation awarded a $2500 grant to support the Tierra Del Sol (TDS) Veteran and Memory Garden in June 2023. The grant award took place at the construction site of the garden, which is located in the TDS retirement community in Florence.

The TDS Veteran and Memory Garden is being organized and constructed by a Board of Directors composed of local residents, who saw a need to create a respectful space to recognize local veterans. The Foundation grant helped provide the funds needed to finish the garden’s construction. On Veterans Day in November 2023, American Legion Post 9 Commander Mark Kille will hold a ceremony to dedicate the garden, with a moment of silence observed at 11 a.m.

“Words cannot describe how thrilled we are that the Florence Copper Mine has awarded us the grant,” said Lynette Stephenson, Chairperson of the TDS Memory Garden. “This project means the world to me and the team.”