The latest news for you- Volume 3

Volume 3

Helping Hand Cemetery Club

(HHCC)

Courtland, Virginia

MISSION

The mission of the Helping Hand Cemetery Club is to improve and to maintain the cemetery as a peaceful, dignified, safe, and beautiful place worthy of its historical recognition. HHC is the link to the legacy and heritage of the African-American community of Courtland, Virginia. In addition, HHCC's mission is to receive and to acquire additions to the cemetery and to sell lots and burial rights therein.

Membership - Fundraising

Our goal is to maintain the Helping Hand Cemetery(HHC) as an eternal, beautiful resting place for our friends, relatives and loved ones. Your financial support is essential and crucial for planned and non-scheduled annual maintenance. Please visit the HHC Facebook page to track our progress.

“Special Note”

The HHCC Board changed the fiscal year from June to July. This change will enable our organization to streamline record keeping by aligning our budget with the calendar year. It will also make your record keeping easier as the tax year is also aligned with the calendar year.

Thank you to the following members who have paid in full for the calendar/fiscal year 2021:

Maxine Nowlin ............Susette Hart ..........Valerie Alston ....Amber Darden

Keith Darden ...............Monica D.Sims ......Kevin Darden ...Melvin Johnson

Aaron Nowlin ...............Yvonne Darden .....Ava Nowlin .......Janet Whitfield

Dolores Peterson .........Maurice Darden ....Alton Darden ....Rosilyn Bryant

Erica Peterson .............Lauren Peterson ...Shelton Darden

Join them - We want to add your name to the list - If you have questions, contact Alton Darden-amd18084@aol.com (313-414-9430)

There are several methods to support HHC.

Life Time Membership - $500 (one time payment – no annual membership dues)
Annual Membership - $60
Friends of HHC – Any amount
In kind service – work on special projects as determined by the HHC Board

Ways to donate:

Pay by check – Make checks or money orders payable to the HHC at PO Box 612 Courtland Virginia 23837
Pay by PayPal At - helpinghand612@gmail.com
Pay by Cash App - $hhcc612
Pay by Venmo - @hand-help612

HHCC is a 501C 13 Tax Exempt Organization. You should expect a receipt before the end of the tax filing year. If you have questions about membership or finances, please contact Maurice Darden ( modarden@aol.com) or 919 632 3166.

Bricks "R" Us

One of our successful funding events has been selling bricks to memorialize family and friends. So far, 18 bricks have been purchased with 10 pending. Memorial bricks are $100 each and are placed to be visible to folks that visit HHC.

Below are samples of the bricks with family wording!

Order your brick at:

www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/helpinghandcemetery

For more Information contact

Alton Darden

Email: amd18084@aol.com

Cemetery Improvement

Bob Barnes

Helping Hands Cemetery property, as originally deeded, included a “V” shaped wooded area in the SW rear corner of the property. This area has been entirely unusable.A primary goal for the 2021 was to make this area available for future needs. As of April 1, 2021, this area was cleared of all vegetation and discarded debris from decades. The area has also been treated to ensure no re-vegetation for the remainder of the year.

We continue to plan for the future of our historic African-American Cemetery and honor the hundreds of persons resting here.

Your Donations At Work !

DID YOU KNOW…

HHC does not receive support, monetary or otherwise, from town, city or county governments because we are a private cemetery and not considered within the town limits. (Imagine that! It doesn’t matter that the “Welcome to Courtland” sign is ten feet in front of our Helping Hand sign.)

All of our support comes from your membership dues and private donations! WE NEED YOU TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR WORK AT HHC!

DID YOU KNOW…

In the last three years, our trustee board has accomplished the following:

A complete clean-up of debris, dead leaves and branches, and overgrown brush areas.
Secured and paid for a quarterly maintenance contract.
Frontal fencing and signage
Repair of numerous damaged vaults.
Organized a yearly Memorial Day parade and ceremony.
Established Trustee Committees to set and accomplish one-year goals.

DID YOU KNOW…Our Goals for 2021-22

To memorialize the unidentified unmarked graves

To build an informational kiosk with a map and directory for visitors

To place historical signs and plaques throughout the cemetery highlighting notable community members

To build a new HHCC website with a historical database

To publish a booklet highlighting stories and biographies of Courtland's resilient post slavery African-American community.

AND FINALLY, DID YOU KNOW…

Many of you reading this newsletter have ancestors, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends interred in HHC. Their spirits walk with us.

Virginia Tech University Visits Helping Hand Cemetery

April 7, 2021

,Bob Barnes ,Melvin Johnson, ,Elizabeth Gilboy, Nick.Proctor viewing the Cemetery- ( Left to Right)

Forrest Johnson,Nick Proctor,Bob Barnes,Shelton Darden, Melvin Johnson, Elizabeth Gilboy ( not shown Maurice Darden photographer)-.Left to Right

Elizabeth Gilboy, Director

Community Design Assistance Center - VA Tech

Nick Proctor VA Tech Staff

We hope you have taken time to monitor improvements at HHC by visiting the cemetery or Facebook (Helping Hand Cemetery). We have recently partnered with Virginia Tech to improve the grounds even more. Two faculty members, Elizabeth Gilboy and Nick Proctor, toured with several of our Board Members to collaborate on creating a more aesthetic and picturesque cemetery.

SHARING THEIR STORIES

Dolores Peterson

If you have a family member, friend, or ancestor interred in HHC, please submit a short biography that includes a story or a few facts about his/her life.

All stories are important whether they are about the farm, employment, church affiliation, personality, special skills, or just memories of grandma or grandpa.

Next year we will celebrate an important anniversary, and we hope to highlight many of the people and families buried in HHC.

You can email your memories to dvlp13@yahoo.com or mail them to Dolores Peterson, HHCC, P.O. Box 612, Courtland, Virginia 23837.

This is a great way to honor those whose spirits continue to watch over us.