Cemetery needs volunteers

Union Grove committee invites public to meeting

A small group of volunteers working to maintain an old cemetery are in need of help.

Sam Abraham, chairperson of the Union Grove Cemetery in Scotchtown, said there is a dire need for volunteers.

“We are down to four members that the work is going to fall on,” he said. “They are getting burned out. We’re scared if we lose them then we’re going to lose what we’ve accomplished.”

The annual meeting of the Union Grove Cemetery is being held Wednesday at the Salvation Army hall on King Street, New Waterford at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Items on the agenda include the upcoming maintenance season, improvements required this

year and the need for volunteers.

“We are encouraging people to come,” he said.

The committee originally included 14 people when it was formed a few years ago. However Abraham said in the last few years, members have left the area for work or been unable to continue for health reasons.

Abraham, who has been a committee member for six years, said volunteers are needed to assist with the maintenance of the cemetery as well as fundraising and decision making.

“(Volunteers could provide) new fresh ideas, how we could go about certain things.”

The committee is hoping relatives of loved ones buried in the cemetery will come forward.

Abraham said volunteers are asked to give whatever amount of time they can spare.

The Union Grove Cemetery Company was formed Dec. 5, 1913 after Percy Johnston, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Harriet Edna Johnston donated the land.

Union Grove began as an independent company serving the United Church, Salvation Army and All Saints congregations.

Today the cemetery is non-denominational and includes1,500 gravesites, serving the people of New Waterford and surrounding areas. The cemetery is not funded or operated by any of the local churches.

All money raised comes from burial fees, family donations and two fundraisers held each year.

“Please take an interest in the resting place of your family and loved ones so that we can continue to make improvements to keep our grounds presentable as a sign of the love and respect for our loved one’s final resting place.”