Portland Rotary accepted our "Flags For Heroes" project with only 5 weeks to put it all together. It consisted in obtaining 100 American Flags with acceptable and sturdy stands, getting them assembled and placed in the Maine Mall, South Portland. Plus each flag was to be sponsored by someone to represent a hero in our communities.....whether a firefighter, teacher, veteran, parent, employer, first-responder and many more. As a Club, we pulled together and had a fabulous outcome!
It took many hands to make the project come to fruition:
assembling the flags and staffs together,
aligning the bases in their special locations,
placing the flags in the stands,
then affixing the dedication signage on each one,
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until the breath-taking display of flags materialized.
The project was a great success and touched many people who walked through the Mall and encountered this proud display. One such note we received from Joanna of Tenants Harbor summed it up:
"Last Thursday afternoon I was trailing through the crowds at the Maine Mall and was stunned by the sight of a small forest of American flags gently stirring beneath the sky light. Thinking it was a 9-11 memorial, I wandered into the center of it, joining others who were quietly walking, crouching to read the plaques, or simply standing there, enveloped in the red, white, and blue stillness. I discovered that it was the Flags for Heroes Exhibit, sponsored by the Portland Rotary. I learned that each flag represents a hero who has made a contribution to their community, including educators, therapists, medical personnel and first responders, police and firefighters, business owners - 100 names, 100 flags, 100 thank-yous to those who have given of themselves. This was a particularly moving experience for me, discovering it on the day after 9-11 and the loss that day represents. I want to thank Charlie Frair, Paul Tully, Paul Gore and all the Rotarians and volunteers who put this wonderful event together. I won’t forget it."
