High Gear
Programs Report
July 17th, 2015
Field of Honor Project
By: Lissete Gonzalez, Waste Management College Intern

Bob Harbict took the podium and gave a persuasive and enticing speech in hopes of rallying every member of Arcadia Rotary to participate in the new “Field of Honor” project.
He began his speech by recalling a few past projects when Rotary united, demonstrated commitment, and exceeded what was expected. He highlighted fundraising efforts (from years ago) for Polio and how their goal of raising $60,000.00 was greatly exceeded when Rotary fund-raised $120,000.00 for children suffering from the disease. Bob Harbict also proved the potential for commitment Rotary had demonstrated in the past when $100,000.00 of donations and countless hours of building a new dining hall/shower room combination was spent for the Boy Scouts in Camp Trask.
After sharing and proving that Arcadia Rotary had the potential to both succeed and exceed on high impact fundraising projects, he announced that he would be the “Chair” of a yearlong project called the “Field of Honor” project where 1,000 American flags will be displayed across a field to honor a veteran, child, loved one, or someone currently in the armed forces. A laminated tag of a person’s name will be attached to the flag to commemorate them.
Bob Harbict shared that he has received permission from City Hall to display the flags there; however, he is still looking into other areas that are more visible and easily accessible. Flags are to be displayed for 2 weekends (8-9 days) and will be sold individually for $50.00. A ceremonial opening and closing ceremony will be held as well and he wants this to be a yearly event with the first event taking place in May 2016. The net income of this project is $32,000. One third of the profits will fund the creation of a veteran’s memorial and two-thirds of the profits will go to Arcadia Rotary charities.
A group of committees for the “Field of Honor” project were created, and Bob Harbict urges every member of Arcadia Rotary to “at least sign-up for one, two, or three”. Erich Rail is the chair of the Flags Committee where he and others who sign up will interface with the Colonial Flag Foundation and other committees. Ernie Jenson will chair the Site Committee and their task is to find a site, arrange tables, lights, etc. The Sponsorship Committee will be chaired by Jay Harville and they will be in charge of designs and procedures to sell sponsorships and flags. Glenn Oyoung will chair the Publicity Committee where they will design presentations, newspapers, and keep in contact with other organizations. The Ceremonial Committee, led by T G Metzger, will be in charge of designing and producing an opening and closing ceremony. Frank Griffith will be chair of the Program Committee, which is in charge of designing, printing, and selling advertising. Mike Real and Matt Weaver are in charge of the Field Committee where their focus is installing rebar, arranging a grid, and maintaining the site during the event. The staffing committee will be chaired by Teri Muse where they are in charge of determining staffing needs and will recruit workers/volunteers. Yvonne Flint will chair the Financial Committee where they will be focusing on creating an event budget, receiving and dispersing funds, and on-site sales. And lastly, Aaron Rose will chair the Storage Committee where they will find a storage space for the flags and figure out transportation.