The amazing fall weather that we so enjoyed, along with everyone’s desire to get out and do something positive, resulted in a very productive month of volunteer work. A total of 190:30 hours of volunteer time was contributed to cemetery projects during October.

A breakdown is as follows:

  • Our Marker Cleaning Workshop on October 17, 58:30 hours and 58 grave markers cleaned.
  • Grounds Clean-up on October 20 and October 24, 91.30 hours.
  • Marker Restoration work, 40:30 hours during the month of October.

A special thank you to the scouts, their siblings, parents, and supporters from Jacksonville Troop 17, Jacksonville Pack 3017 and the Jacksonville Rotary Club for all they did cleaning up the cemetery grounds on October 24. They filled a large trailer with 78 large leaf bags and 7 trash cans. Thank you to Eric Rogers for helping me to keep up with this fast- moving group.

My appreciation to Eric Villarreal and Richard Shields for making time to help us reset 5 large monuments that were restored in October.

We will be starting a new program in the spring called “Adopt-A-Block in the Cemetery.” This is something we have had on our wish list since our organization was founded in 2008, and now that we have cleared the slate some, it is time to introduce this new project. I am pleased to announce that the Jacksonville Boosters Club will be supporting this project with a number of their members already signing up. We will be asking that those interested be willing to commit to caring for a block or two, for a period of one year. A block measures 20 by 20 feet and may have 10 or more grave sites within the block.

The work would require as little as four visits per year, more if desired, to pull weeds, remove non-native plants, rake leaves, prune bushes, brush off headstones and monuments and generally keep the block looking neat and cared for. Additional details about the program will be in the February edition of the Jacksonville Review, as well as on the FOJHC website: friendsjvillecemetery.org.

In the meantime, if this sounds like something you would be interested in, please send us an email at: info@friendsjvillecemetery.org.

Lastly, Giving Tuesday is on December 1, and if you are looking for an organization to help support, the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to restoring, preserving, documenting, and safeguarding our cemetery and its history for future generations. Your support and donation would be sincerely appreciated and help us continue our work. Your gift can be made payable to the FOJHC (Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery) and sent to FOJHC, P.O. Box 1541, Jacksonville, OR 97530.

Thank you for your consideration and wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with hope and promise for all.

Jacksonville Cemetery Clean-up Day, October 24, 2020. Photo by Eric Rogers