Winchester library displays Our Heroes' Tree

By BETH MOLAND

News-Gazette reporter

Winchester Community Library is participating in Our Heroes' Tree initiative sponsored by Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University. The program honors past and present service members and works to create awareness of military families currently affected by deployment.

"MFRI was trying to get a library from each county to participate and we thought this would be a good opportunity to honor our veterans in the community," WCL Director Jana Barnes said.

To participate in Our Heroes' Tree, people need to simply create a handmade ornament honoring a service member in your family or community from past or present wars, conflicts or peacetime operations. Bring the ornament to Winchester Community Library during the month of October, where it will be placed on the tree with other ornaments.

"We hope we get some," Barnes said. "Then we are to take pictures of the ornaments we collect and send them in to MFRI. They will be uploaded them to a virtual tree that will showcase all the ornaments collected throughout the state.

Stories about individual service members can also be submitted and will be displayed in a binder near the tree. More about Our Heroe's Tree can be found at www.cfs.purdue.edu/mfri/events/herotree/participants.html. or contact Winchester Community Library at (765) 584-4824 or pick up a bookmark with complete details about the program.