The Mathews Rotary Club is gearing up for its annual Flags for Heroes display, which this year will be located prominently on Buckley Hall Road in the field adjacent to M&M Building Supply.
An Honor Guard ceremony with rifles and Taps will mark the opening of the display, to be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 24 at M&M. Also that day, a Bell Ceremony to honor deceased veterans will be held at 1:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 83, 73 Hookemfair Road, Hudgins.
Each of this year’s flag sponsors will receive a special “America 250” medallion for each flag to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The flags are 3’ x 5’, and the 4” recognition medallion will have the name of the hero, with the sponsor’s name attached. Flags will be raised as they are purchased.
Rotarians Ron Lambert and Bill Stearns said the club hopes to have 250 flags sponsored. The highest number ever sponsored in the six years of observing the tradition in Mathews County was 185 flags, said Lambert. In order to achieve the goal of 250, he said there are specials for people who want to support the effort by honoring multiple heroes.
Finally, as part of VA250, the club is leaving the flags up an extra week to allow visitors and residents to see them throughout the week following the 4th of July.
“It’s a labor of love,” said Lambert.
Proceeds from sponsorships will go toward grants the Mathews Rotary Club provides every year to support Mathews community projects.
Who are the heroes?
Stearns explained that a hero can be anyone important in a person’s life—a parent, grandparent, teacher, friend, child, grandchild, spouse, veteran, active military, first responder, health care worker, or even a special pet.
How to sponsor a flag
Sponsorship of one flag for one hero is $50. Additional levels of sponsorship are: Supporter—$250 for six flags; Partner—$500 for 10 flags; and Premier—$1,000 for 15 flags. The name of one person or one group may be included per flag.
The flags are owned, maintained, and erected by the Rotary Club of Mathews and will be flown in 2026 in honor of the sponsor’s hero.
To order a flag, visit mathewsrotaryclub.org or send a check to Mathews Rotary, P.O. Box 282, Mathews, Va. 23109. Put “flags” on the memo line.
For more information, call 804-993-1795.