News
June 1, 2016DSIC and City of Schenectady Unveil 2016 Hometown Heroes Banners
Local veterans and active duty servicemembers being honored through mid-November
The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC) and City of Schenectady unveiled new 2016 Hometown Heroes banners Wednesday during a ceremony at downtown’s Schenectady Armory. Now in its second year, the banner program honors veterans and active duty servicemembers from the City. Each banner features an individual’s photo, name, and branch of service. Sponsored by companies, organizations, and families, the banners will be displayed on light poles along State Street from Veterans Park to South Ferry Street from tonight until just after Veterans Day.
Said Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, “The Hometown Heroes banner program is a wonderful opportunity to show public appreciation for local servicemembers. This is also a perfect complement to downtown’s Veterans Park, which is a prominent State Street landmark.”
Said DSIC Executive Director Jim Salengo, “Last year’s inaugural Hometown Heroes banner program was extremely well received by the community. We are proud to bring back the program for 2016 to honor even more dedicated local servicemembers, both past and present.”
A total of 26 banners will be installed in round one. During today’s ceremony, the banners honoring Schenectady’s Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps servicemembers were unveiled one-by-one by sponsors and honorees in attendance. A second round of banners will be installed in early July.
Major corporate sponsorship for the Hometown Heroes banner program is provided for the second year by SEFCU. Said SEFCU President and CEO Michael J. Castellana, “There is no greater honor than serving one’s country. SEFCU is proud to once again share in the recognition of these local men and women who selflessly gave of themselves to secure our freedom.”
A printable map showing the location of each Hometown Heroes banner may be downloaded from the DSIC’s website (www.downtownschenectady.org), along with brief biographies of many banner honorees.
Special assistance for the ceremony was provided by the Schenectady Armory’s Ray and Jeff Legere; The Creative Advantage; Bayly’s Rentals; Proctors; Trinacria Photography; and Villa Italia.
