Claridge Court, a Prairie Village retirement community, honored veterans in a special way for Veterans Day.
The community hosted a wall unveiling event on Friday afternoon to pay tribute to veterans who are residents, spouses or employees at Claridge Court.
Claridge Court wanted to honor veterans
- Rob Salierno, executive director at Claridge Court, said this effort was to show respect for residents and employees who are also veterans.
- The wall project was driven entirely by residents who wanted to honor veterans, he said.
- “The residents decided how they wanted to do it, what that looks like and our executive council and residents really run our programs for what they want, and this is what they wanted, which is great,” Salierno said.
The wall features portraits of Claridge Court veterans
- Each portrait — of either current residents or their spouses who have passed — includes the Claridge Court veteran’s full name and their branch of military, Salierno said.
- Salierno said that even as World War II veterans pass, there are still a lot of great veterans in the community.
- The wall intends to pay tribute to these veterans, to remember the ones who have passed and honor their sacrifices, he said.
- An American flag made by veterans is also on display on the wall.
The wall is available for the public to see
- Salierno said the wall is right next to the main dining room at Claridge Court.
- He said the public can come in and see the wall if they’d like, which is across the way from an art room featuring work from local artists.
- The veteran and art walls, along with volunteer partnerships, is part of the retirement community’s efforts to immerse itself in the wider community.
- “Since COVID, really our goal is that Claridge Court isn’t a place to come and retire but come to be part of Prairie Village and the greater community around us,” Salierno said.
Go deeper: PHOTOS: Johnson County’s Veterans Day celebration
