Goshen Rotary to host Flags for Heroes
Goshen. There are no limits on heroism: ‘It could be a teacher, coach, mentor, community leader, parent, child or anyone who has been a hero in your life.’
| 05 Oct 2020 | 12:13
Pictured from left to right are Rotary members: Chris Tippin (vice president and Flags for Heroes chair), Mark Gargiulo (president), Rolly Peacock (treasurer) and Ron Klieverik (secretary). Photo provided by Amy Van Amburgh.
Marie Dwyer’s hero is the late husband of her niece Larry Gabler.
“He was kind, generous, smart and just a wonderful man,” Dwyer said.
Thanks to the Goshen Rotary, a flag will be erected in Gabler’s honor at the Charles J. Everett Memorial Park at Main Street and South Church Street in Goshen. Rotary Secretary Ron Klieverik estimates there will be among 150 to 200 Flags for Heroes displayed there from Sunday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 22, following an 11 a.m. Nov. 1 presentation.
This year’s Flags for Heroes, Goshen Rotary’s first try at this popular event, coincides with Veterans Day, Nov. 11. In addition to heroes who have served in the military, it will honor police, fire and other first responders, doctors and nurses who have been on the frontline against COVID-19.
No limits on heroism
But Rotary has put no limits on heroism. “It could be a teacher, coach, mentor, community leader, parent, child or anyone who has been a hero in your life,” the organization said.
Those who wish to honor their personal heroes are asked for a $50 donation. Rotary will retain the flags for future programs, but sponsors will receive the medallion that hangs from the their hero’s flag.
The three-foot by five-foot flags will sit on 10 foot poles in rows six feet apart.
Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization open to all.
Goshen Rotary has supported numerous community causes, including the Goshen Food Pantry, Braeside Camp, Goshen Rotary Scholarship Foundation among others.
This year, however, its fund raising has been crippled by the pandemic. All of its major fund raisers – road races and ice cream sales at the Great American Weekend and the Taste or Goshen - were canceled.
Deadline
“So we are hoping,” Klieverik said, “the Flags for Heroes project will be a great success and will be enjoyed by the Goshen community.”
The deadline for registering a hero is Oct. 23.
For additional information or to request an application form, email questions to Chris Tippin, the program chairman, at ctippin15@gmail.com.