OLDS — Just one week after the Rotary Club of Olds launched their third annual Fly The Flag fundraiser, 80 of the 300 flags available were rented, committee chair Randy Smith says.
People can rent a flag via the club’s website or through their Facebook page. Purchasers can pay online or if they’re not comfortable with that, other arrangements can be made.
Between May 10 and May 12, members of the Rotary Club and the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron 185 will come and install the flags, with poles, on purchasers’ front lawns.
The flags will remain up until after July 1, when volunteers will come and collect them for next year. If the flags become frayed or torn during that period, they’ll be replaced.
This year, a portion of the money raised is going to the air cadets. Smith’s understanding is that the cadets would like to update or replace their audio visual system.
Supporting youth is close to the hearts of local Rotarians and those across the country.
During an interview with the Albertan, Smith said the fundraiser has grown every year. The first year, 75 flags were purchased and rented. Last year, that figure soared to 150.
Smith agreed that this year, the Fly The Flag fundraiser is even more meaningful, due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to absorb Canada as a 51st state and his imposition of tariffs on a variety of Canadian industries and products.
“I think it is twofold. As a fundraiser it's important. It's a project that is, I think, important to the community, because it does support a lot of different organizations, because we're Rotary, and that's what we do,” Smith said.
He said it’s also important to fly the flag to show pride in the country in the wake of Trump’s threats.
“I think now everybody is coming together, which is a positive spin off of what's going on.”
Smith said the club ordered this year’s allotment of flags about two months ago.
“We did order the flags right away. In fact, we had a heck of a time getting flags this year because they're in high demand, go figure,” he said.
“But we were very pleasantly surprised that the supplier out of Ontario, he must be a Rotarian, because he moved mountains and got us our extra flags and we got them in.”
Smith said it’s stirring to see lots of Canadian flags in the community.
“It's awesome when you drive down the streets of Olds and you see all these flags on the lawns flying,” he said.
