Meet The Parsippany Girl Scout Spearheading A Veterans Recognition Program

PARSIPPANY, NJ — A Parsippany teen is volunteering her time to honor veterans throughout her neighborhood.

Sanjana Medapati, a local Girl Scout and recent graduate of The Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering, is launching a veterans-based initiative for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project.

Medapati plans to create and display banners featuring local veterans across Parsippany, a group she says she’s admired since she was a child.

She initially thought of the idea when she noticed other NJ towns displaying veteran banners, but not in her town of Parsippany. She was also inspired by her brother, who joined the military three years ago.

“People who do service like this should be recognized… The amount of work they’ve put in, the amount of effort — they’re putting their lives on the line,” Medapati told Patch. “(Veterans) will gain recognition from the people in the community. If anything, residents can learn from the veterans, where they served, and have people to look up to and be inspired by.”

Each banner will feature the veteran’s name, branch of service, and years of duty. Medapati intends to hang them along North Beverwyck Road and Veterans Park.

She’s been working on the project since her junior year, and finally got approval from the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce recently. Now, Medapati is reaching out to local veterans and families of veterans to spread the word of the initiative.

“After talking to veterans and people currently serving, it seems like something they would really appreciate, because it's work that they’ve put in,” she said. “I think this would be a great opportunity, especially for families that have lost somebody who served. It seems like a nice way for them to honor someone who’s served in their family.”

The entire project is nonprofit, with 100 percent of proceeds going towards the banners. According to the Chamber of Commerce, any donations received, including any remaining funds from previous banner purchases, will fund the cost of future banners.

People interested in buying a banner for a local veteran or donating to the project can do so online here. Each banner and pole costs $185.

Medapati, who will be attending Florida State soon to study biology, is hoping to get the banners up in the next month or so. However, she said it's an ongoing project, so people can submit for banners at any time.