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Okotoks Rotary, Comp students bond in patriotic fundraiser

Rotary Okotoks Club hopes to distribute 200 flags for stat holidays in 2021

Young welders have bonded with an Okotoks service club to help show the community’s patriotism and help a worthwhile cause.  

Members of Virgil Green’s welding class at Foothills Composite High School helped construct the supports to the flags as part of the Rotary Club of Okotoks’ Canadian Flag Program.  

“I thought it was really cool that the school had a chance to do something for the community and create something that I know I can drive by and see, and know I really put some work into that and know the story behind it,” said Grade 11 welding student Matt Siebert. “A bunch of people having fun together to help the community.” 

The Rotary Flag program will have approximately 135 flags distributed to Okotoks area homes, where they will be flown on Victoria Day, Canada Day and Labour Day.

The flags are on a subscription basis. They are collected after each of the weekends to be distributed again for the next recognized stat holiday. The first set of flags will be sent to homes on May 15 for the following Victoria Day weekend.  

Rotarian Jeff Foss, the co-ordinator for the fundraiser, said the club members are delighted to have the students involved.

The Okotoks club is following its brothers and sisters to the south, the High River Rotary Club, in adopting the flag program. The High River club initiated the program a few years ago and has had the assistance of Comp welders for the past three years.  

“We piggybacked off of High River and they said: ‘if you can sell 100 flags, you will be doing good’ — we sold that much in five days,” Foss said. “So, we got a second hundred going. Right now we have about 135 sold.” 

He said the experience in High River was once people see the flags up, there is a greater demand for the following holiday.  

“We expected to sell all 200 this year,” Foss said.  

Comp Grade 12 student Braedan Parker said the project was a team effort.  

“Once we got the process going, it went really well,” Parker said. “There was a group of us, it was fun.”  

Parker and the students have helped in the past – the Comp welding students repair the grocery carts at the Okotoks Food Bank. 

Green said he was excited to assist the Okotoks Rotarians after helping with High River in various projects for the past 10 years. 

“This should be a legacy project that we can help with year after year,” Green said. “It is a nice part for our students to play in the community.” 

He said while not an extremely difficult welding job, it is a good challenge for the students.  

“You are trying to produce a product that is worthy to show in the community,” he said. “You don’t want some gross disgusting welds out there representing our program.”  

The cost to lease a flag for all three weekends is $60. Volunteers will install the flags on the weekend before stat holiday and collect them the weekend after the holiday. Proceeds will go towards the Okotoks Rotary club's ongoing programs in the community  For more information click here.

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