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January 31, 2008 Not For Profit Corporation Formed to Build Heroes Memorial in Seminole County The Seminole County Heroes Memorial Association, Inc. has received official designation from the State of Florida as a not-for-profit organization for the purpose of raising funds to build a permanent memorial to the fallen Military, Police and Firefighters in the area of the County’s Criminal Justice Center. The concept of this memorial has been on the list of Seminole County projects for a number of years, but finding funding has caused a delay in execution. In 2007, the County Commissioners authorized Commissioner Dick Van Der Weide to spearhead the creation of this private citizens corporation to move the project along to completion. The formation of the new group is a result of his efforts. The Heroes Memorial Association is led by President, Frank Ioppolo. He is a prominent Central Florida Attorney with the Greenberg Traurig law firm. Frank currently serves as the Chair of the Seminole Community College Foundation and is the immediate past chairman of the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Regarding this new mission, Ioppolo comments, “when Commissioner Van Der Weide called me to lead this citizen’s initiative, I was on board immediately. It is so important for us to honor our heroes who have sacrificed to keep us safe, our families protected and our country free. With each of us pitching in a little, the funds will be raised to build a beautiful memorial in their honor.” He continued, “ there is an active team of local leaders here in Seminole County, our Commissioners included, who lead the charge on wonderful quality of life issues like this one and achieve successful results. I am counting on their support to assist our Board of Directors and Commissioner Van Der Weide with this challenge. It will be a great day when I can attend the grand opening ceremony of the new memorial as a result.” Other officers include Robert Kohl, a well-known civic and veterans leader and the Seminole County Manager, Cynthia Coto. A meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks for various community partners including area veterans, firefighters, law enforcement and business groups, to discuss the design services. The memorial is slated to be located to the east of the Criminal Justice Center and fronting on US 17-92 adjacent to the existing pond. Tax deductible donations can be mailed to: FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Ioppolo, 407-421-7158
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