Redford Cemetery Association

How You Can Help To Preserve Redford Cemetery

Redford Cemetery occupies a unique position: it is at once both a historic site and an operating cemetery. Unlike for-profit cemeteries and cemeteries that are owned, operated, or otherwise supported by municipalities, Redford Cemetery cannot continue to exist, to operate, and to perform the necessary maintenance and restoration without your help. Revenue raised from burial fees, annual lot assessments, and perpetual care endowments struggles to cover the costs of running a cemetery; it comes nowhere near what is required to perform necessary historic preservation and grounds restoration tasks. We need your help.

Over the course of many years, the cemetery has been subject to the destructive impact of the dual forces of vandalism and the passage of time. Some tombstones and burial monuments have been toppled, broken, or stolen. Masonry walls have succumbed to the ravages of weather and age. Trees and shrubs have become overgrown, diseased, or unsightly. These are problems that urgently need to be addressed. Since 2002, substantial steps have been taken towards stabilizing and improving the condition of the cemetery. But much remains to be done and we need your help.

Whether you have an ancestor buried at Redford Cemetery, are interested in the history of the area and well-being of Redford Cemetery, or if you are a member of a community organization looking for a way to make a meaningful difference in the world, we need and welcome your help. There are at least as many good ways to help the cemetery as there are people who would like to help, so what do you have in mind?

There are many ways to help the Redford Cemetery and the following are a couple suggestions:

Attend a Redford Cemetery Association Workday - The more work that we are able to perform ourselves, the less work we have to pay to have performed. In recent years we have been able to muster a corps of volunteers to handle spring cleanup, fall cleanup, and tree and shrub care. Volunteers have also tackled weed removal, trash collection, and fence repairs. If you like working outdoors and making a tangible difference in the condition of the cemetery and its grounds, then attending a Redford Cemetery Association workday is for you.

Share Your Expertise - Are you familiar with sources of funding available for historic preservation? Do you have experience writing grant applications? Are you skilled in coordinating the efforts of community groups in pursuit? Have you ever taken training in cemetery restoration and preservation? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then the Redford Cemetery could really benefit from your skills! Please drop us an email and we will do our best to find a good fit between your skills and the needs of the Cemetery!

Share Your Documents - If you have documents or photographs that relate to Redford Cemetery or those buried at Redford Cemetery, we'd love to have a copy! Materials may be mailed to Archives, Redford Cemetery Association, 504 Highland Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823. If you wish to share something in electronic format, feel free to email it to us.

Link to Our Site - Help us with our Google page rank! Adding a link to http://www.redfordcemetery.org on your webpage would be most appreciated.

Make A Donation - The Redford Cemetery Association is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation and your donation to the Redford Cemetery Association may be tax-deductible. Monetary donations are always appreciated and are absolutely essential to our historic preservation efforts. Donations may be earmarked for particular purposes, if you wish, such as for grounds beautification, masonry repair and restoration, burial marker repair and restoration, or as a memorial to a friend or relative buried at Redford Cemetery. Contributions may be made by postal mail to: Treasurer, Redford Cemetery Association, 31270 Franklin Rd., Franklin Village, MI 48025. Donations may also be made online through PayPal to redfordcemetery@gmail.com (please include your mailing address if you require official acknowledgment of your contribution). If you have questions about donating to Redford Cemetery Association, please email us.