Veterans Memorial Fund Raises $160,000 for Restoration
The Kern Veterans Memorial Fund has enough money to begin restoring the downtown Bakersfield memorial but still needs donations to finish.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The Kern Veterans Memorial Fund has raised $160,000, enough to begin significant work on the Truxtun Avenue and S Street memorial in downtown Bakersfield. The fund is asking the community for further donations to complete the restoration.
Why it matters
The memorial, originally dedicated in 2007, has been damaged by vandalism, the passage of time and water damage tied to its original design. Restoring it preserves a local tribute to veterans from Kern County and Bakersfield.
The $160,000 covers three new Medal of Honor monuments and replacing the center spire's glass panels with impact-resistant panels. The full restoration remains unfunded, and the remaining cost was not reported.
The players
Kern Veterans Memorial Fund
The fund is a local nonprofit effort raising money to restore the veterans memorial in downtown Bakersfield.
Joe Colombo
Colombo led the effort to build the memorial and suggested donation amounts of $10 or $20 to support its restoration.
The details
Volunteers are carrying out the restoration work, and donations can be made online at kernfoundation.org by selecting Kern Veterans Memorial Fund. The memorial is a granite, glass, steel and travertine structure that has suffered vandal damage and water damage from design details that did not anticipate it.
Timeline
2007: The memorial was originally dedicated in downtown Bakersfield.
Nearly two dozen years before the article: Joe Colombo led the effort to build the memorial.
November 14, 2026: The fund announced it had enough money to begin work.
Legacy Stewardship
The Kern memorial, dedicated in 2007, is now being rebuilt through community fundraising after years of vandalism and water damage. Its restoration follows the original dedication effort led by Joe Colombo nearly two decades earlier.
Residents who want to help can donate online at kernfoundation.org by clicking "Give now" and selecting Kern Veterans Memorial Fund. Even small gifts, such as the $10 or $20 amounts Colombo suggested, add to the funds needed to finish the restoration.
The takeaway
Local memorials depend on sustained community giving to survive vandalism and age. Small, regular donations can collectively close funding gaps for restoration work.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage to see how Bakersfield-area nonprofits are funding local community projects.
More information
Donations to the restoration can be made through the Kern Foundation online donation page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Bakersfield Californian.
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