PHOTO PROVIDED As The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven makes the final preparations for their annual Flags of Honor community event, club members are seen holding an example of one of the flags. From left are Marianne Lotfi, Heather Lively, Carmen Banfill, Janine Bruno, Lisa Schropp, Diahann Claghorn, Jeanne Baker and Wendy Doherty.

The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven is making the final preparations for their annual Flags of Honor community event, but there is still time to dedicate a flag to someone special in your life.

The flags will be erected in Triangle Park on Friday, May 23 with a special ceremony held on Sunday, May 25. For the first time, the flags will be on display until Sunday, June 1…giving the community extra time to admire them.

The public is welcome to walk among the flags and pay their respects to the men and women who are being honored and remembered. Each flagpole contains a plaque with the honoree’s name, branch of service and any other information that you would like to include. Your loved one will also be recognized in an ad in The Express and in a commemorative booklet that is handed out at the Flags of Honor Ceremony.

“Flags can be sponsored for veterans, first-responders, teachers, mentors and special people in your family. They can be in honor of people who are still living or in memory of those who have passed away,” said Carmen Banfill, assistant secretary/treasurer of The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven.

With more than 150 flag dedications last year, The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven hopes to exceed that number this year, but they need the community’s help.

To sponsor a flag, mail your information with payment to Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven, P.O. Box 634, Lock Haven, PA 17745.

Be sure to include:

— Your name, phone number, mailing address and email address.

— The name and wording you would like on the flag plaque.

— A check for $35 per flag made out to “Downtown Lock Haven Rotary.”

The deadline for flag sponsors is Monday, May 12th.

Not only will you receive the unique opportunity to dedicate a full-sized American flag to someone important in your life, but you will also be contributing to a good cause.

“We use Flags of Honor proceeds to help our community move forward into the future. Some of the proceeds go toward the club’s three scholarships for Central Mountain graduating seniors, and some are donated to local nonprofits,” said Marianne Lotfi, president of The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven.

This fundraiser would not be possible without the generosity of local businesses. All of the corporate sponsors are named on a banner in the park, in an ad in The Express and in a commemorative booklet that is handed out at the Flags of Honor Ceremony. They also receive a laminated sign to place in a window or office, designating them as a Flags of Honor sponsor.

For more information on becoming a corporate sponsor or a flag sponsor, text or call Wendy at 570-295-3443, send an email to dlhrotary@gmail.com, or find Downtown Lock Haven Rotary on Facebook.