Lake City Reporter Newspaper: American Legion Donates Flags to County Schools

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Columbia County schools are receiving 600 new American flags, thanks to the American Legion.

“The American Legion voted unanimously to purchase flags for the Columbia County schools,” said John Pierce, commander of the American Legion. “We believe in patriotism.”

The group is made up of individuals who served in the armed forces or who have family members who have, Pierce said.

“You learn to respect our country and what the flag stands for,” said Pierce who served 21 years as an Army Reservist.

Pierce presented a check for $2,658 to Grady D. Markham, superintendent of Columbia County schools on Friday.

A bill titled the “Carey Baker Freedom Flag Act” was enacted in July requires all Florida public institutions to display the American flag in all classrooms.

The bill was named for a Eustis lawmaker who spent a year serving in Iraq.

The flags must be made in the United States and be at least two feet by three feet.

The schools have until Aug. 1, 2005 to have the flags displayed.

When the school board first learned of the mandate, questions arose as to how to pay for the flags.

“We explored several potential ways to pay for these, but then I called the American Legion and they graciously agreed to help us with this project,” said Dorothy Spradley, district volunteer/education marketing coordinator.

“We will ensure that each flag is hung the right way, in the same spot so there is uniformity,” Spradley said. “We even ordered the exact same brackets for all the flags.”

The American Legion will also assist the schools in the respectful disposal of the used flags.

“Individuals or organizations may bring torn or faded flags to us for proper disposal,” Pierce said.

Markham feels that the importance of the American flag should be taught to students.

“The flag represents the spirit of America and the spirit of our people,” he said.

“It represents all the lives that were sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy in this country.”

In addition, he highlighted the benefit of having the flags in all classrooms.

“Young people need to see this flag, to understand what it means, to not only recite the pledge, but understand the weightiness of the words,” he said.

He spoke of the generous support the schools enjoy from organizations around the county.

“This is a wonderful example of the great partnership the schools have with area businesses and organizations and the support we get from them time and time again,” he said.

“We are honored and appreciative to receive these flags.”

http://www.lakecityreporter.com/articles/2005/02/12/news/top_story/news01.prt

–Ashley Cisneros
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Ashley Cisneros is a co-founder of Chatter Buzz Media, an Orlando Internet marketing firm that helps companies and organizations engage with their target markets through inbound marketing via the Internet. Chatter Buzz Media, which won the Social Madness competition for the Orlando small business market, is a full-service digital marketing firm specializing in website design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing and content creation. Prior to founding Chatter Buzz, Ashley worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, technical writer, marketing manager, public relations practitioner and freelance journalist. To see Ashley’s content writing, visit www.ashleycisneros.com. You can also reach Ashley on her Google profile.

By | 2017-04-28T07:32:46+00:00 February 11th, 2005|Categories: Blog, News, Samples|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

About the Author:

Ashley Cisneros Mejia is a journalist, entrepreneur and marketer. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and later as an editor at Florida Trend business magazine. Ashley has worked as a professional freelance writer since 2009, as a technical writer, marketing manager, and public relations practitioner. She also founded two digital marketing agencies in Orlando. Named one of Orlando’s 40 Under 40 and honored by the Women’s Executive Council of Orlando for achievements in media and communications, Ashley earned a B.S. in Journalism and an M.S. in Entrepreneurship at the University of Florida.

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