Butchart Gardens has donated $25,000 to the Homecoming, a statue planned for downtown Victoria.
The statue, a $150,000 naval memorial, will depict a sailor who has returned from sea and is welcoming his daughter with outstretched arms. A sketch of the piece was presented earlier this month.
The completed piece is scheduled to be unveiled May 4, 2010. It will be located next to the Tourism Victoria Information Centre on Wharf Street.
The statue will mark the navy's centennial year in the community.
The artist for the Homecoming is Nathan Scott, who has produced a number of prominent statues in the region -- including the Terry Fox statue at Mile Zero.
Butchart Gardens owner Robin Clarke said her father had a connection to the navy, and she is proud to be involved in the project. Butchart Gardens is now the title sponsor.
The public can get involved by purchasing $200 pewter miniatures of the statue, or buying bricks that will surround the statue.
Bricks are $200 or $350.
Any money raised in excess of the required $150,000 will go the Military Family Resource Centre.
Call 250-388-6258 or e-mail [email protected].
