PARSONS, Ks. (KOAM) - The American flag is seen by many as the symbol of freedom, as well as a way to respect those who have served the country.
And for Gina Fought, who comes from a military family, it's important to her that the veterans in her community are shown the proper respect.
“You are free to be who you want to be because these people fought for that. You're free to think what you want because they fought for that. You can think whatever you want, but you need to appreciate the people who made that possible for you," says Fought. "And for me, that's important.”
She organizes a monthly kid's hour at Olson's Ace Hardware in Parsons. For this month, she decided to teach kids about the history of the U.S. flag and how to properly respect it.
When word of her idea got around, others quickly offered to help by donating snacks, supplies and even bringing old military vehicles to display.
“We've had a whole lot of people in our community reaching out," says Fought. "I started with the tiny idea that I knew that I wanted to do, and it just grew. I got messages from friends saying can we do this? Let's add this.”
VFW Post 704 held a flag raising ceremony at the event, and helped to teach families on how to raise a flag, when it should come down and the proper way to fold it.
“One of the important things about today is that people realize that there is an honor that goes with our American flag. There's a rich history, and many soldiers have spent their last breath for what our American flag represents,” says Angela Johnson with the VFW.
Post 704 regularly helps teach young children about the history of the flag and proper protocol. It's a yearly tradition for 4th grade students to come to the post the first Wednesday in November to learn with volunteers about how to be respectful.
For event organizers, it's a rewarding feeling to see kids so excited to learn more about the American flag.
“I just want to make sure they know how to show respect, know how to respect others, and show respect to our veterans, to our American flag," That is important for me to make sure all kids know that.”
During the event Olson's Ace Hardware also held it's back-to-school drive. Many attendees donated school supplies for local kids as a thank you for the free event.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
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