Rotary honors Flags for Heroes sponsors
The Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club paid tribute to 33 club heroes, friends and corporate sponsors at Irish Eyes Aug. 15. With their support the 2016 Flags For Heroes community event was the club's most successful fundraiser ever. Held over 12 days surrounding the long Memorial Day weekend, Flags For Heroes raised over $41,000 in individual and corporate sponsorships, with net proceeds donated to Lewes-area charities.
Thom Lockhart, a designer with Creative Concepts, who has supported the event the last two years, said, "We love Flags For Heroes. It allows Creative Concepts to honor our flag, honor America and honor our personal heroes – all at the same time. Our customers love it too."
With nearly 70 people in attendance, President Craig Beebe called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone. Following dinner, he presented a check for $2,000 to Melinda Wolf of Casa San Francisco, an organization providing emergency food and shelter for needy Sussex County citizens. Then with the help of fellow Rotarian Dave Keller, he presented Medallion Awards for club and community service to Lewes Mayor Ted Becker, Cape Gazette reporter and photographer Deny Howeth, and Bob Backman, WRDE/NBC TV president and general manager. In addition, a Medallion Award was presented in memory of club member Ralph Umsted. Beebe then presented the award to Keller as well.
"You can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to show up," were the words used to describe the Spirit of Rotary awards presented to those who exhibit a Service Above Self attitude. In attendance to receive his award was 93-year-old Cadbury resident Bill Peterson, dubbed the Energizer Bunny for his tireless work with Flags For Heroes. Rotary members Andrew Ratner and Dennis Forney were out of town and unable to receive their awards. Although not a Rotary member, Lewes resident Rich Asbell received a Spirit Award as well for his volunteer work selling sponsorships for Flags For Heroes.
Beebe and Keller then presented individual awards to corporate and foundation sponsors. From the legal, accounting and financial services sectors were Lewes attorney Larry Fifer, Ray Book of Book and Associates CPAs, Key Advisors Group's Joey Ghabour, and Rob Price from Price Financial Group. Unable to attend were Wade Thompson of Edward Jones, Jenn Harpel from Morgan Stanley, Gary Melnick of Melnick Rosenbaum, and John Lokken from the Lokken Investment Group in Lewes.
The real estate field was represented by Jim Wachter for Schell Brothers and Mark Schaeffer of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Gallo Realty. Longtime Rotarian and Past President Joe Hudson of Hudson Family Enterprises was unable to attend.
Creative Concepts' Thom Lockhart and Lisa Morton were on hand to receive an award in the retail and senior services division along with Ron Simmons and Karen Truitt from Patio Systems Inc., Pat Davison of Delaware Propane and Georgiann Deist representing Cadbury Senior Lifestyles. Those companies unable to attend included the Lewes Auto Mall, Rudy Marine, Light House of Lewes, Frue-Con Contracting, AAA Storage, Surf Bagel, Best Ace Hardware and Wawa. The lone foundation sponsor was Pennsylvania Merchant 1733, a fund of the Greater Lewes Foundation.
In only four years, the Flags For Heroes program has raised over $100,000 for local charities. The Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club was founded in 1929 and for 87 years has been quietly and significantly making its community a better place to live, work, go to school and raise a family.
