An Englewood woman has organized a fundraiser and volunteer program to place flags on as many graves as possible by Memorial Day.
This Memorial Day will look different at cemeteries across the U.S., as large, organized groups like the Boy Scouts have been banned from placing American flags at cemetery graves en masse. So Christine Yeargin, an Englewood resident, has decided to pick up the mantle and organize a safe way for individual volunteers to place flags at Denver's Fort Logan Cemetery, while still maintaining social distancing guidelines.
"There are over 120,000 graves in Ft. Logan Cemetery," Yeargin wrote on the Flags for Ft. Logan Cemetery GoFundMe page. "With the time crunch we’re under, we realize we may not be able to supply all of the graves with a flag, but we will do our very best to make sure we can cover as many as possible!"
She told 9News on Thursday that at $1 per flag, she was hoping to place 2,100 flags by Monday with the $2,100 raised so far. Now, however, the GoFundMe has raised over $6,862, exceeding the original $5,000 goal, so she's scrambling to find and purchase as many flags as she can.
"I have a friend who grabbed a couple thousand today," Yeargin told OCN this afternoon. "I am working on the rest now by going to different stores that sell them and getting what they have."
This weekend, Yeargin will station herself in a designated location away from the cemetery to provide flags to individuals who would have been visiting the cemetery anyway. By doing so, she's providing for families to place flags on graves without congregating onsite and violating Fort Logan Cemetery's social distancing policies.
We at OCN offer kudos and gratitude to Christine Yeargin for organizing such a meaningful effort! We remember and honor those who have served our country and given their lives for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day.
