Dec 30, 2013 By Dave Zuchowski for The 3 min read

WAYNESBURG — To honor veterans, both living and deceased, a nonprofit nursing and rehabilitation center in Greene County launched a “Buy-a-Brick” initiative on Veterans Day.

The 4-by-8-inch red bricks made by the Fundraising Brick Co. of Hermann, Mo., eventually will be laid in Veterans Square, an 18-by-60-foot area just outside the front door of the Rolling Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Waynesburg.

According to Dalene Watson, director of the Greene County Veterans Affairs office, the county has about 6,000 living resident veterans. Those include those who served in World War II, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as some who are still serving their country but are slated to retire soon.

The cost of the bricks is $150 for three lines of 20 characters each without clip art (the insignia of the various branches of the military) or three lines of 15 characters each with clip art.

Of the estimated 16 bricks already sold, state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, has purchased one brick, and the James Farrell American Legion Post 330 in Waynesburg has purchased a corporate brick for $1,000. The money raised will be allocated to the nursing home’s transportation fund and to construct and maintain Veterans Square.

“Once we get 2,500 bricks, hopefully by next spring, we intend to invite local politicians and the color guards from the county’s American Legions and Veterans of Foreign Wars to the ground-breaking ceremony,” said Eric Rockwell, the nursing home’s director of business development.

Rockwell’s father, Charles R. Rockwell, is buying a brick for himself and an ancestor, David Gray, who founded Graysville and fought in the Revolutionary War.

The bricks will be placed in front of the nursing home around the flagpole to create a permanent veterans memorial. After the square is completed, veterans groups will be able to hold ceremonies on the square. At the moment, the home is soliciting bids from contractors interested in installing the bricks and constructing the square. After the first wave of brick purchases, the square can grow in the future.

“Currently, we’re accepting drawings and artistic renderings of what the square could look like with the addition of things like landscaping, permanent seating, lighting and a stone marker,” Rockwell said. “One veteran already told us he’d like to submit a drawing of his own.”

Those wanting to purchase a brick can go online to the nursing home’s website, www.rollingmeadownursing.com, and click on the “Buy-a-Brick” link. They can also stop in at the nursing home at 107 Curry Road to complete an order form.

Rolling Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation, Greene County’s only nonprofit nursing home, was established in 1993 by the county to replace the county home. In 1994, the county sold the 127-bed facility to the Guardian Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that manages nursing and rehabilitation centers.

To operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the center has 124 employees that include Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Smith. Rolling Meadows currently has 110 residents, which includes those needing either short- and long-term care. Call 724-627-3153 for more information.