Optimists plan Avenue of Flags program

VW independent/submitted information

Van Wert Optimist Club is bringing back the Avenue of Flags program, a patriotic community service, this year. The positive feedback the club received from the 2017 Avenue of Flags program was incredible, and club members are grateful for those who participated last year.

The club also wants to extend an “early bird discount” for a 2018 membership. Those who sign up by May 1 will receive a $5 discount per flag for a total cost of $45 (original price, $50). Multiple flags at the same address are $40 each. Area residents can also sponsor a flag at another site.

Program participants receive a 3-by-5-foot, high-quality American flag on a 10-foot flagpole, which is sited within 15 feet of the curb in front of a home or business for the following five national holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day (Fourth of July), Labor Day, and Veterans Day. Club members install the flags a few days prior to each holiday and remove them a few days after the holidays.

The Optimist Club is responsible for placement of the flags and proper storage of them after they have been retrieved.

It is the club’s goal to show national pride and appreciation for those who served, while also raising funds for the Optimists’ area youth programs, such as after-prom activities, a bike rodeo, and various youth scholarship opportunities. Just by participating, local residents are helping the Optimist Club raise funds that it will then reinvest in area youth activities.

For more information on the Optimist Club, its programs, and how it works with area youths, view the club’s website at http://optimistvw.com. Local residents can also contact the club on the flag program via email at flags@optimistvw.comor by calling 419.948.3524.