The founder of a local veterans tribute that has grown to include traveling exhibits across the nation and beyond is now hoping to find a location in Kernersville for a permanent display.
“We actually started as just a family project is all it was,” Lori Egerter said of the Tree of Valor. “Our son was in the Marines and we really just wanted to do something special for him.”
Following his deployment, his family kept up the artificial Christmas tree they had decorated for him with photos and mementoes. From there, the small display began attracting more attention from the community.
“It seemed like God just kept putting people in front of us who were veterans,” Egerter said. “And in the interim, his little sister was really, really missing him.”
She explained that despite living with a rare degenerative disorder that has left her unable to walk or talk, her daughter Lexi has been “the heart of the project” since its inception, noting that her meaningful encounters with veterans have been a central component of the Tree of Valor.
In large part because of that reciprocal relationship, Egerter shared her desire to establish a permanent display in Kernersville, either in place of or in addition to the one that is currently open in Burlington.
“Just the drive takes it out of her, you know,” she said. “And in the words of her doctor, her job is to keep the skills she has left. And to find things that really help to, let’s say, build neurons, build synapses in her brain, and one of those things is the mere sight of a vet.”
While her ideal location would be the former Kernersville News building at 300 East Mountain Street, she is open to considering any space suited to the permanent display of trees and other tributes.
Adding that she would soon be removing a collection of items on display at Cooper’s Vintage Village, Egerter concluded: “If I don’t figure out something quick, the decision can pretty much be made for me, because once I load it up … that’s the last stop with us.”
She expressed hope that locals will respond to her call — whether to volunteer or assist in the pursuit of a local exhibit space — and thanked those, including businesses like Walgreens and Best Logistics, that have shown support thus far.
Click here to contact or learn more about the Tree of Valor.
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