Tony Gwynn memorial fund drive tops $103,000
Efforts to raise enough private donations to finance a memorial for Tony Gwynn at Lake Poway topped $103,000 this week.
As of noon Wednesday, $103,323 had been raised through the campaign’s website, crowdrise.com/tonygwynn.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus expressed confidence that “We will raise $150,000-plus” within the next few weeks — enough to pay for a larger-than-life bronze statue of the San Diego Padres legend and 30-year Poway resident who died nearly two years ago.
On Tuesday night the City Council will review a statue design recommended by a selection committee. The design, by Texas sculptor Seth Vandable, shows Gwynn raising his cap to the crowd while holding his young daughter.
If the design is approved, the statue should be ready in about eight months, Vaus said Tuesday. It will be installed, along with a donor wall and perhaps some benches, on a site near the snack stand at the Lake Poway baseball field. The exact design of the memorial is still being worked out.
An April 1 concert at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts generated about $20,000 for the memorial. Corporate sponsorships to date include $25,000 from Alex Pellegrino of Sequoian Investments and $5,000 each from El Cajon Ford, Walmart, Bill Howe Plumbing and Whitaker Investments.
Donor wall tiles are available for contributions of $250 or more.
Donations may be made online. Checks made out to the City of Poway can be mailed to City of Poway, Attn: Tony Gwynn Memorial, 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, CA 92064. More information is available from Community Services Director Robin Bettin at 858-668-4585. Her e-mail is rbettin@poway.org.
