Kiwanis U.S flag program ensures ‘patriotism never goes out of style’

Eagle Radio staff present Kiwanis of Hays board member Jerry Ubert with $850 donation in support of Kiwanis U.S. Flag Project and other Kiwanis of Hays community projects — Eagle Radio of Hays presented Kiwanis of Hays board member Jerry Ubert, front row, left, with a donation Thursday to support the Kiwanis U.S. flag project and other community projects.

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

A group of 42 volunteers will be waking up at the crack of dawn Monday to ensure nearly 900 flags will be flying high throughout the community of Hays this Memorial Day.

These particular flags are part of the Kiwanis of Hays U.S. Flag Project, which started 14 years ago.

According to Kiwanis board member and flag project co-chairman Jerry Ubert, for a $30 donation, Kiwanis volunteers will not only provide a 3-by-5-foot U.S. flag, pole and bracket “for proper display of the U.S. flag.” Kiwanis members will erect and take down the flag at sunset on Memorial Day.

The $30 donation also means volunteers will come back on four more holidays throughout the year to do the same thing: Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

Ubert admitted the process takes hours of commitment, and many members “are not morning people at all, but are willing to roll out of bed at least five times a year to help get the flags up.”

Ubert said the program is rewarding.

Sternberg public relations intern Marcella McCluskey and Sternberg volunteer Jackson Stanton practice video games at "Be the Dinosaur" exhibit at Sternberg. — Sternberg public relations intern Marcella McCluskey and Sternberg volunteer Jackson Stanton practice video games at “Be the Dinosaur” exhibit at Sternberg.

“When you see the flags out there waving, it is all worth it,” he said. “What it boils down to is good ol’ patriotism. Patriotism never goes out of style.”

While the deadline to receive the Memorial Day flag is past, the community is welcome to sign up for the project at any time of the year at a prorated price.

Eagle Communications has supported the Kiwanis and its U.S flag project for years.

In fact, the streets adjacent to Eagle Communications at 27th and Hall Street will be lined with American flags Monday.

To help keep programs such as the U.S. flag project alive, Eagle Radio of Hays on Thursday presented Ubert with an $850 donation to support Kiwanis of Hays.

Ubert thanked Eagle for the funds, noting the money goes “right back into the community” by supporting not just the the flag project, but all the community projects Kiwanis helps fund, such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Fort Hays State University campus, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County, CASA, Boy and Girl Scouts, First Call For Help, Special Olympics, Ellis County Ministerial Alliance and more.

For more information on the flag project or Kiwanis, call Ubert at (785) 625-3481 or visit the Kiwanis of Hays website.