"Relight the Flame"-Michigan War Veterans Memorial

In 2007, the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition (MDVC) became the fiduciary for the care of the Michigan War Veterans Memorial in Detroit. In 2019, the State of Michigan appropriated $250,000 for the dismantling and design of the new Michigan War Veterans Memorial due to the sale of land to a private developer. The Memorial was given a site in the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources William G. Milliken State Park in the City of Detroit along the Detroit Riverfront, the State of Michigan’s only urban park. The State of Michigan did not appropriate any funds for the reconstruction of Memorial. 

Under the assignment from the MDVC, the Michigan War Veterans Memorial Steering Committee is now tasked with reclaiming, restoring, and relocating the dismantled tiles to the State of Michigan’s Milliken State Park, the Department of Natural Resources only urban park. The Memorial is included in the State of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources master plan and in the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation’s East River Assets study. The Steering Committee has set an aggressive fundraising capital campaign and intends to meet the funding goals of the Memorial capital fund and endowment fund by November 11, 2021.

The Michigan War Veterans Memorial Steering Committee will “Relight the Flame” by fundraising $1 Million to reclaim, restore, and relocate the Michigan War Veterans Memorial and to provide for an endowment fund for the Memorial. 

The “Relight the Flame” project will provide recreational and educational opportunities in the State of Department of Natural Resources only urban park, Milliken State Park, for arts, honor, and history. The Michigan War Veterans Memorial will serve as a symbol of honor and memorial in Milliken State Park. The State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Milliken State Park receives approximately 3 million visitors a year. An estimated 3.5 million Detroit residents can access the Park each day