The Stars & Stripes are blooming in Kilgore again this week with Flag Day fast-approaching June 14 – it’s local Rotarians’ way of wishing Old Glory a happy 248th birthday.
The Flag Program is Kilgore Rotary Club’s sole fundraiser, and proceeds fuel everything from the group’s annual shoe drive and dictionary program to scholarships and support for community projects.
“We have 25 routes, 1,032 flags,” according to Rotarian Jerry Camp, with 19 club members making the rounds six times a year with help from six more volunteers. “I think it adds something to the town. You would be surprised at the number of compliments we get for having those flags out when people are driving through town.
“It’s pretty impressive to see that many flags out on the highway and downtown. It grabs your attention.”
It’s a year-round effort for the civic organization.
There are healthy gaps between Patriots Day, Veterans Day and Presidents Day then Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July follow each other in short order. Years of experience have taught the club members the flags last longer when they’re only out for short stretches, a few days before and after patriotic holidays.
“We tried last year leaving them out, but we couldn’t get some of the flagpoles out, and we had a few flags that were tattered from the weather,” Camp said. Granted, “If it rains we have to wait for the flags to dry before we pick them up. Otherwise, they’ll mildew.”
The program’s been going strong since the mid-90s.
“We used to put them out Labor Day, but we felt September 11 was more appropriate.”
Each flag costs participants $50 a year, and some residents sign up for as many as four flags each holiday. A registration form and payment details (by check or PayPal) are available at rotaryclubofkilgore.org.
“It’s not much. I’m sure someday we’ll have to change it, but not just yet,” Camp says. “The price of flags is going up, but right now, we’re trying to hold it at $50 as long as we can.”
The Rotarians put every dollar to work.
Last year’s late-Summer shoe distribution benefited more than 400 local children, going back to school with a new pair of kicks through Kilgore Rotary’s outreach.
“We like it because it helps the kids start school with a brand new pair of shoes just like all the other kids,” Camp said. Socks, too: the group expects to hand out 400 or 500 pairs come August – #StayCurrent for details.
In addition to club members’ contributions, the fundraiser covers the annual cost of dictionaries for second graders at both Chandler Elementary and Sabine Elementary.
“We do eight $1,000 scholarships for Kilgore College,” Camp noted. “We also have a Rangerette donation for their scholarship fund. We send six kids (three from Kilgore, three from Sabine) to the Rotary Youth Camp in February each year, which is a great deal. It’s a leadership camp that also teaches how to be good followers.”
Other efforts include the club’s annual speech contest and its support of other Kilgore charities’ efforts in town.
Per RotaryClubofKilgore.org, “A portion also goes to Rotary International for the ‘End Polio’ Program, promote Peace, education, clean water, sanitation, hygiene projects, and many other world-wide programs.”
New flag program participants (and volunteers) are always welcome. Rotarian John Lockman handles the installation and occasional repairs of flag mounts in homeowners’ yards, and other club members pitch in as needed beyond the regular distributions and pickups.
“We’ll have a workday every now and then when we’ll pull flags off the poles and put brand new ones on,” Camp added, entrusting old flags to the Boy Scout Troop 252 for respectful retirement. The crisp red, white and blue of a new flag’s always a nice sight: “We don’t need much reminding, but it still highlights the holidays themselves.”
