Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove

What it reported doing in 2024

In fy 2024-2025, the friends of the medal of honor grove continued its work on the enhancement of the arboretum. More than 24 dead, diseased or dying trees were removed and replaced by 36 new saplings of pa native trees. Volunteers have tended these new trees to ensure they remain viable. Trees continue to be a focus for the grounds committee and funding for the removal of trees is being sourced. The education center signage was updated with the stories of another 10 medal of honor recipients. The friends' plan is to continue to rotate the recipients' information on a regular basis. The North Carolina and Kansas sites plaza brickwork was reset. Planning and fund raising has begun for two new sites within the medal of honor grove, the sister veronica memorial garden and the tomb of the unknown soldier garden. Two granite benches damaged by fallen trees were replaced at the Iowa and Nebraska sites. Planning for the connecting trail from the medal of honor grove to valley forge national park has been initiated and coordinated with the norfolk southern railroad, valley forge national park, schuylkill township, chester county and founding forward. To promote habitat for monarch butterflies, a milkweed garden is being installed in the medal of honor grove. Milkweed is the sole host plant for monarch butterflies, providing essential food and protection for their larvae, while benefiting from the monarch butterfly's pollination efforts. Completion of this garden is expected for late fall 2026. A proposal for the restoration of the entrance roadway into the medal of honor grove has been accepted and the job of repairing the collapsed roadway culvert is expected to be completed in september 2025. During fy 2024 -2025, over 200 volunteers provided their time and talents to help with various tasks in the grove: corporate volunteers, school groups and community members helped with organized clean up days, planting/tending the new saplings, re-locating ground plaques, and many other tasks. The friends depend on the generosity and commitment of volunteers to fulfill their mission of maintaining, improving and enhancing the medal of honor grove. We are thankful for their support. The medal of honor grove is open to the public at no charge from dawn to dusk 365 days of the year, closing only when the weather, particularly winds exceeding 15 mph, makes it unsafe for visitors to be there. School groups are welcome at the medal of honor grove and present an opportunity for school age children to learn about the heroic actions of the more than 3,500 recipients of the medal of honor as well as how the medal of honor grove as a class 1 arboretum promotes and improves the local natural environment.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 91.5%; rating input score 92
• Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -14.6%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.76; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -8.6% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -4% per year; rating input score 0; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings