I have to admit to being an unabashedly patriotic person. In fact, at my house in southernmost Forsyth County, I proudly display The Stars and Stripes every single day.
So it should come as no surprise that I am impressed by a dozen or so local boy scouts who facilitate the flying of our national emblem on holidays in seven neighborhoods in South Forsyth and Johns Creek.
For the scouts of Troop 143, who are sponsored by Johns Creek United Methodist Church, the flag program presents big learning opportunities.
Joe Butler, the father of three scouts, says historically scouts are aware and attuned to the importance of the American Flag. Adding that of the 70 scouts in the troop around 15 of them volunteer for the program and each treat their work “…with a lot of respect and importance and realize how much people enjoy having the flag up.” Besides the patriotism, it’s a fund-raiser and scout troops all over Metro Atlanta have similar flag programs to raise income to provide financial resources for their activities.
There is a third and equally important benefit to the boy scouts’ flag subscription program. Litz said “forgetting about the monetary aspect, it also increases awareness of scouting.”
Dennis Litz is an adult volunteer with two sons in scouting. He says the fee paid by the approximately 400 homeowners who participate in the program helps participating scouts earn funds to support their individual scouting endeavors and Litz added that it “helps provide some of the equipment necessary for scouts and leaders to participate in a variety of camping activities for ten months out of each year.” The scouting volunteer says subscriptions also help ensure that the troop can replenish worn flags and other components as needed.
As Butler explains it, each participating homeowner pays a $35 annual fee to the scouts who manage the flag program – putting them up prior to a holiday such as the upcoming Labor Day Weekend and taking them down after the holiday is over. Baker acknowledges that it is obviously a big commitment by the scouts and also by their parents who help to transport flags and scouts since most are still too young to drive.
Troop 143 regrets that it is unable to take on any new clients who may want to fly Old Glory. Butler says the troop has found what he called its sweet spot, with just about the right number of homes and subdivisions the troop can accommodate.
I, for one, appreciate what the scouts and their customers do to honor our country by facilitating the display of this worldwide symbol of freedom.
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