'The Kiss' Statue Visits Atria El Camino Gardens in Carmichael

Valentine's Day may have passed a few months back but residents at the Atria El Camino Gardens senior living facility in Carmichael gazed upon a couple that just could not stop kissing last month.

"The Kiss" statue visited the Garfield Avenue facility on May 17. It replicates the iconic photo of a sailor and nurse celebrating the official end of World War II with a passionate embrace in Times Square.

The statue toured the country on its way to Washington, D.C. to be featured in the National Memorial Day Parade. It was created by Spirit of ’45, a grassroots campaign that encouraged Congress to establish a day to remember and preserve the legacy of the “greatest generation,” now celebrated on Aug. 14 to coincide with the day in 1945 when President Truman officially declared the end of World War II, according to a news release from Atria.

“The Kiss” is traveling across the country to encourage participation in the organization’s World War II Couples project. Spirit of ’45 is asking couples who were together during World War II to submit wedding photos for inclusion in a mosaic banner to be displayed in Times Square on Aug. 14, in conjunction with the national celebration of the end of the war.

“We are honored to support the Spirit of ’45 and look forward to this chance to pay tribute to the veterans living at Atria El Camino Gardens and in the greater local community,” Stacey Belt, the National Engage Life program director at Atria Senior Living, said in a released statement. “This event is a unique opportunity for members of the greatest generation to be captured in this moment in time for which Americans will be forever grateful.”

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