Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Flags for Heroes fly for Flag Day

 

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Flag Day is coming up this Friday. It marks the adoption of our flag all the way back in 1777.

And if you're looking for a beautiful display, all you have to do is drive down Tower Place and Highway 164 in Pewaukee.

The Waukesha Sunrise Rotary Club is flying 100 flags. It's a sight that's both beautiful and for a good cause.

"Beat you to it," said Bill Wiesneski, planting a flagpole in the ground. 

One by one, flag after flag is planted in a row.

"These are about 15 feet apart," he said. "Right now, we've got 100 on display."

Wiesneski has it down to a science.

"Did you miss one or two?" he asked, checking the work. 

He makes sure the display is just right. Wiesneski is the chairman of the Flags for Heroes program run by the Waukesha Sunrise Rotary Club.

"And the neat thing about this program is it's Flags for Heroes. So, it doesn't have to be military. It can be teachers; it can be firefighters," he explained.

The concept is simple.

"It's a beautiful way to celebrate other peoples' lives," said club president Greg Hatt.

Local businesses and individuals can sponsor a flag.

Their name and the name of the honoree are visible on the pole.

"And we have a lot of people who come out here and look at 100 flags to find their name and their honoree's name on it," Wiesneski said.

"Every day we have heroes," said Ann Stover, an individual donor. 

Stover dedicated her flag to people she admires -- her mother and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

"Heroes are everyday people who do things for others without expecting anything in return," she said.

IAG Wealth Partners is a corporate sponsor.

"And we said count us in, our office is right around the corner," said Anne Sapienza.

Sapienza, a financial planner and partner with IAG, says driving past the flags gives her pause.

"It takes me away from what I'm doing and makes me think about those that support what the flag means," she said.

"We thought, my God, there's so many people that are everyday heroes these days," Hatt said.

Hatt sums it up by saying the waving flags can have a big impact.

"Especially at a time when politics are rather fraught, and there's a lot of head bumping, this is something I think everybody can get behind."

They'll be up for Flag Day this week, and then again for the 4th of July and Labor Day.

If you'd like to sponsor a flag, you can sign up and find more information by clicking here. 

The money raised allows the rotary club to fund charitable projects.

If you'd like to nominate an everyday hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].