Centerville and Washington Township become a community of flags five times every year, courtesy of the Centerville Noon Optimist’s ”Avenue of Flags” program. This is a program that you can create in your own community.
On five flag holidays (Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Veterans Day) club volunteers place 3-foot-by-5-foot American flags on a 10-foot pole in the front yard of homeowners and business owners in Centerville and Washington Township communities who subscribe.
“One of the tenets of the Optimist Creed is to promote patriotism. Our motto is ‘Friend of Youth,” said Tom Novak, a co-chairman of the Avenue of Flags and a 25-year member of the Centerville Noon Optimist organization. “The Avenue of Flags illustrates both goals because the flags provide a sense of pride in the community, and the funds raised from the program go directly to the young people.”
What started as a small project of 33 flags in the Quail Run neighborhood has evolved into 2,500 flags across Centerville and Washington Township on the aforementioned five flag holidays. Volunteers deliver the flags, Tom explained, including Centerville Noon Optimist members, and citizens who learn about the program and want to distribute the flags in their neighborhoods.
The annual subscription includes a flag for Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, and all 5 flag holidays in 2021. There are also multi-flag discounts at the same address. The organization will place a 3 foot-by-5 foot American flag on a 10-foot flag pole typically within 15 inches of the curb in front of a home or business on the five holidays.
The flag is delivered and installed before the holiday, and then it is picked up afterwards. The club stores the flags between the holidays.
Centerville Noon Optimist is the largest Optimist club in the world. It supports a variety of organizations including school PTOs, Hannah’s Treasure Chest, Dayton Children’s Hospital, TOPS Soccer, Centerville parks, and libraries among others.
The organization awards around $20,000 worth of scholarships each year. Among the events the Centerville Noon Optimist club hosts are a fishing derby, a bike rodeo, basketball and soccer competitions, an Easter Egg Hunt, Haunted Trail, and Build-a-Bear at Children’s Hospital.
In 2018, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the club donated $50,000 to the community – including $25,000 to the Washington Centerville Public Library to help fund an outdoor reading garden at Woodbourne library, and $25,000 to the Centerville-Washington Park District to build a new playground at Forest Field.
The club has three major fundraisers, including the Avenue of Flags, the Tom Frazier Tee-Off for Youth Golf Outing every July, and the Christmas tree lot every November and December.
“Every time I volunteer at an event, we feel happiness seeing the joy on kids’ faces, and every time I drive past a public project that we funded, I feel fulfilled knowing that the community and our club members are making a positive impact,” Tom added. “The Avenue of Flags is especially inspiring because patriotism is on display in neighborhoods and downtown streets. One of the most awe-inspiring images you can see is the American flag waving in the wind.”
For more information about the Centerville Noon Optimist club, and the Avenue of Flags program, visit www.centervillenoonoptimist.com.
Please visit www.centervilleflags.com for more information.
