In about an hour, a team of Easton Rotary Club volunteers turned an empty field into a riot of patriotic color. This is part of a fundraising effort called Flags for Heroes, which has raised money for such things as putting put AEDs in local parks.
Rotarian Mike Henry of Easton unfurls some new flags at the beginning of the process to set up the Flags for Heroes display in front the Talbot County Business Building on Wednesday afternoon. He is a Vietnam veteran who flew helicopters in the war. Related story and photos, page 7.
Dozens of flags fly in the Rotary Club of Easton’s Flags for Heroes display on the Easton bypass. The flags were posted in time for Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives for our country and for other local heroes.
Rotary of Easton put out an impressive display of Flags for Heroes Wednesday afternoon in front the Talbot County Business Building. Row after row of flags wave in the breeze.
In about an hour, a team of Easton Rotary Club volunteers turned an empty field into a riot of patriotic color. This is part of a fundraising effort called Flags for Heroes, which has raised money for such things as putting put AEDs in local parks.
PHOTO By TOM MCCALL
Easton Rotarian Matt Albers sets aside flags for display at the Talbot County Community Center.
PHOTO By TOM MCCALL
Rotarian Mike Henry of Easton unfurls some new flags at the beginning of the process to set up the Flags for Heroes display in front the Talbot County Business Building on Wednesday afternoon. He is a Vietnam veteran who flew helicopters in the war. Related story and photos, page 7.
Flags for Heroes
PHOTO By TOM MCCALL
Dozens of flags fly in the Rotary Club of Easton’s Flags for Heroes display on the Easton bypass. The flags were posted in time for Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives for our country and for other local heroes.
Flags for Heroes
PHOTO By TOM MCCALL
Rotary of Easton put out an impressive display of Flags for Heroes Wednesday afternoon in front the Talbot County Business Building. Row after row of flags wave in the breeze.
EASTON — A team of Rotary volunteers showed up with help from around 10 from Easton Utilities at the Talbot Business Center to unfurl dozens of American flags in honor of Memorial Day. Even the Civil Air Patrol showed up to hoist some flags. With that team it took less than an hour to transform an open green into red white and blue.
Jackie Wilson, Rotary member and co-chair of the project, said, “We are putting flags on the poles, but we had a lot of extras. Thirty of these will go out to the community center. We close the last push for fundraising in the next few days.”
She is referring to Flags for Heroes, which raises money for local causes like supporting paramedics, local volunteer fire departments and placing life saving AED boxes around Talbot County.
Wilson was president of Rotary when the event was initiated 13 years ago, and co-chaired the effort when fellow Rotarian John Flohr brought the idea back to Easton after a trip to the West Coast.
Wilson said that in addition to promoting patriotism, the original intent was to involve and enrich the community, and to make Rotary more visible.
In the years since, the Flags for Heroes project has raised $450,000 in funds that all have gone back into the community, Wilson said.
“We give back to hero organizations,” she said, like fire departments, the sheriff’s office and the Talbot Hospice program for veterans. “We’ve made a difference in some of the local organizations.”
Wilson said she sees the impact directly through positive reactions like drivers honking their horns as they drive by while volunteers are placing the flags on the Wednesday or Thursday before Memorial Day.
She was concerned about losing this prime spot to put out the flags next year, and she wants to talk to the mayor about bringing the project to Idlewild Park.
Time is running out to sponsor a flag this year. For details, visit www.flagsforheroes.org.
Wilson also put out a call to any local business that would want to help out next year.
Reporter Mike Detmer also contributed to this report.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.