On Sept. 12, Mayor Haakensen asked the Lion’s Club of Edmonds to put out the more than 200 American flags around Edmonds that we normally display on holidays or voting days. We took them down that evening, but public reactions, and the mayor, were in favor of keeping the flags up. We put them back up and eventually took them down over a week later after the primary election. We were very happy to do this as a sign of patriotic support for those grieving losses because of the New York and Pennsylvania attacks.
Our concern was that the longer the flags stay up, the more flags we lose. Our total losses were 10 flags. The replacement cost of each flag and pole, for us, is $25.00. The Lion’s Club puts 100 percent of the monies gained by fundraisers into the Edmonds area communities. A few of the many things we support are scholarships to high school seniors, glasses and vision screening for the sight impaired, hearing aids, and food for the local food banks. Ten lost flags represent $250 or one half a scholarship or two thirds of an eye exam and new glasses for a child whose family cannot afford it.
If you are one who sports a new flag at the expense of the Lion’s Club of Edmonds, we ask that you return it to where you got it. If you would like to donate $25 to help replace a flag, send a check to Lion’s Club of Edmonds, P.O. Box 178, Edmonds, WA 98020.
Lion’s Club of Edmonds
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