Find your own way to give back

To the editor:

My wife and I came to Portland a year ago to visit the graves of past generations of my family.

We found the general condition of Green Park Cemetery disheartening.

Recalling a statement my father often quoted, “anyone can find a problem, but it takes a real man to find a solution,” I decided to discuss my concerns with the cemetery’s staff and board of directors. In doing so, I learned the cemetery receives no tax dollars, but is supported solely by one-time lot sales and donations. I also learned that over the past three years the cemetery’s general operating expenses equaled its revenues and there were no excess funds available for gravestone repair.

While none of my ancestors’ gravestones were in need of repair, out of respect for Portland and those who have gone before us, I committed to providing financial support and over 450 hours of my time to assist the cemetery’s staff in resetting those gravestones that were in need.

Participating in this project has given me great joy and satisfaction, and feeling as though I have given something back to those who made sacrifices for all of us. Many of the residents of Green Park served in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam; they are heroes and they helped to make America great.

Volunteering for projects such as the one I assisted with in Green Park is just a small sample of the type of things that will continue to keep America truly great.

Please, if you see a problem, get involved, find a solution. Turn off the TV, put your phone down and take action. Support your community, your neighbors and our children, as they are the future. The task of keeping America great begins at home, with each of us.

In closing, I ask that you please consider supporting your local cemeteries either financially or by volunteering to help preserve their beauty.

Greg McKinley

Murfreesboro, Tennessee