Flags for Veteran Ceremonies: Friends and Neighbors Helping Friends and Neighbors
Veterans will always help out a fellow Veteran.
And as an extension of that, ancillary organizations affiliated with Veterans such as the American Legion Auxiliary also do their part to support the military.
One such auxiliary, from the American Legion Randolph Post 707 in Englewood, Ohio, not only stepped in to help Veterans, it also helped Ohio’s Hospice fulfill its commitment to providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family.
The auxiliary, with the help of a few other legion-affiliated organizations, donated $2,000 to our Troy location to purchase American flags for American Pride® Veteran Care by Ohio’s Hospice recognition ceremonies.
The fund-raising effort began after the family member of a patient of Ohio’s Hospice, medical social worker Natalie Jenkins, asked if the family could receive additional flags. Natalie said she learned that there were times when there were not extra flags always available. She also discovered that the volunteer Veterans who take part in the recognition ceremony or family and friends of the patient were purchasing additional flags.
Natalie contacted her friend, Natalie Hollinger from the Post 707 auxiliary. The auxiliary agreed to donate $300 and then solicited the help of the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Riders. Another $1,700 was raised and donated.
“One of the Auxiliary’s pillars is Veteran Affairs and Rehabilitation,” Natalie Hollinger said. “We were touched that volunteers were paying for the flags for the ceremony, and wanted to ease that burden, so we decided as the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 707 that this was a perfect way to honor our Veterans who fought for our freedom. Because this was a cause we believed in, we reached out to the other families and asked for donations as well, which led to the $2,000 donation.”
According to Vicky McKinley, Ohio’s Hospice volunteer coordinator in Miami County, donations help offset the cost of flags. Sometimes demand for flags can deplete the amount of money available.
She did say that local donations are used only in Miami County, enabling the Troy location to provide meaningful ceremonies and cherished memories to our patients.
