Honor and Remember

The Honor and Remember organization continues to have a significant influence on the mindset of our nation and our world. Many of you have supported us from our inception and watched our impact grow, while others of you have recently come on board. Many of those who are familiar with Honor and Remember may not realize the full breadth of what we do with so few resources to leave a lasting and perpetual legacy of public remembrance. Additionally, Honor and Remember enables citizens and other organizations to participate by honoring families and making presentations based in their own communities. Our mission is unwavering and does not depend on what the latest relevant hot button may be. Our organizational goals are very clear and concise and can be articulated in four simple words: establish, educate, present, comfort. These concepts form the basis for the entire vision and are cornerstones of equal importance. Currently there are fifteen all-volunteer Honor and Remember state chapters that actively participate in the furtherance of the mission, as well as many volunteer "ambassadors" who participate in the awareness and presentation process. Every day is spent diligently working to further develop a broader national scope in each of the following critical areas. Establish - the last state adoption was Illinois which officially endorsed the Honor and Remember flag as their state symbol in 2023, bringing our current total to 27. Several states are still in position to adopt, including Alaska, new york, Kentucky, Ohio, and Massachusetts. More states are considering legislation for 2024 sessions and we will continue until all 50 are in place. Additionally, many more organizations and businesses are displaying the flag and supporting the mission. Our ultimate goal is still congressional adoption and we are hopeful that our national legislature will eventually embrace the flag. Still actively valid is congressional bill hb4109 introduced by rep donald davis. It is our hope that we move closer toward national adoption. Once this session has expired we will re-introduce. We are continually pursuing and receiving endorsements from individual municipalities, public institutions, associations and corporations,promoting the flag's identity everywhere. We are working to establish the tradition that every time there is a reported military casualty, hr flags are flown everywhere in tribute. Educate - we continue our mission to educate americans on what it means to be a gold star family member. Much attention has been given lately to these families through periodic political news. Education is key to bringing about an understanding that will ultimately change mindsets and bring needed recognition and appreciation for the price of our liberty. Much of the education comes from flag presentations as well as significant relationships with organization and companies dedicated to flying the Honor and Remember flag and sharing the message. Relationships continue to grow with nascar, sargento, geico, spartannash, goodyear and many others. Continuing to build corporate relationships. Opportunities to educate occur at both the national and local level. Activities and events such as setting up literature and product tables, speaking at major venues, doing interviews for radio, television, etc. All help to get the word out. Also, creating specific events, such as organized runs, banquets, concerts and other opportunities help to raise both awareness and much-needed funds to continue the work. This is a continuous part of what we do. Significant initiatives for education include the nascar charlotte memorial weekend and the 30 sec moment of silence, the establishment of the month of may as Honor and Remember month, the may memorial marathon and signage on more than 2000 nationwide spartannash transport trucks. Since the start of 2023, we have also successfully completed fourteen state run for the fallen events following the national america's run for the fallen. We have been conducting these runs since 2012. Present - with education comes awareness and with awareness we are able to reach generations of families of the fallen. One significant mission objective is the presentation of one personalized Honor and Remember flag to every family of a military fallen hero. The ultimate goal is intended to pay tribute to each individual man or woman who lost his or her life for america. Since the war on terror began we have suffered nearly seven thousand military casualties, not including health-related deaths or accidents. The Honor and Remember organization has presented nearly 5,000 personalized flags since its inception. Currently, we are responding to our growing request list by accomplishing an average of one presentation per day. Still it is not enough. Some families who have requested personalized flags have been waiting for more than four years and we continue to reach out to others who do not yet know we exist. Our mandate includes every generation of heroes and their families. Since the start of 2023, over 300 personalized flags have been made to present. These flags have been presented across the country, at various events and venues. Sometimes individually in the quiet of a living room or in groups onstage at a musical concert. Over the year, new flag requests have been received at a rate of nearly one per day, bringing the current waiting total to almost 400. Nearly every day at least one new request is received. Comfort - presenting the personalized Honor and Remember flag is only the beginning of a relationship we seek to build with each recipient family. Communicating with them on a regular basis and engaging them in the mission to recognize other wounded families promotes emotional healing and builds a sense of community among all families who have given so much to america. Our efforts to provide comfort have included hosting hundreds of individual families at annual banquets, organized running events and professional sports venues, such as nascar, mlb, concerts and more. We continue to look for other viable partnerships that foster an atmosphere of healthy communication, healing and comfort. This short briefing highlights just a sampling of all that is being accomplished. We have had an amazing 2023, our best year so far making tremendous progress toward our goals. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our very small staff, the dedicated volunteer team members of state chapters and faithful supporters across the country, awareness and education continue to grow. In order for the work of Honor and Remember to continue and expand, we need more manpower and financial resources. More state chapters are vital to our future, as are ambassadors who are willing to carry the vision to their communities. Additionally, flag sponsors are important to enabling us to recognize the tremendous number of families yet to be reached. We are extremely appreciative to individuals and partners for the support and belief in building this legacy for our nation and leaving this permanent gift for all gold star families. The visibility and impact is becoming more evident. We can only continue to be successful with persistence and perseverance. Please consider how you can become even more active in the Honor and Remember mission. State runs this year included fl, va, nc, az, ny, in, ga, co, ky, tn, oh, new england and sc. We continue to build tribute trails through each state with the ongoing mission to "say their names" held our fourteenth annual gold star family evening. With more than 350 family members in attendance, this event was free and open to all families of fallen military regardless of generation. It is a first-class evening with entertainment, speakers and presentations and it is a highlight for the families from around the country. Next 6-12 month-plus focus: 1.fifteenth annual banquet, Virginia beach - dec 8th 2.run for the fallen state runs - two additional each year 3.thirteenth annual state chapters' conference in january, Virginia beach. 4.nascar gold star family initiative and championship banquets 5.strategic sales initiative -focusing on organizations with multiple flagpoles and industries such as veteran organizations, funeral homes and cemeteries. 6.honor and Remember month of may strategy including sixth annual may memorial marathon 7.memorial weekend expansion 8.nfl veterans day/weekend initiative 9.police and fire community opportunities. 10.third annual golf tournament fundraiser 11.adding additional corporate awareness partners.