Department of Veterans Affairs

ALNC Veterans Day Ceremony

Flowers for Heroes, NFP receives 501c3 Status

After months of anticipation, Flowers for Heroes has finally received our 501(c)(3) status! Now that we are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a public charity, we hope to increase the amount of good our organization can do for our Gold Star Families.

Flowers for Heroes hopes to gain more exposure now that we have our 501 through generous media supporters and public service announcements. We are looking into the best places to focus these advertisements and are really excited to spread much needed awareness for our struggling Gold Star Families.

Gaining this 501 status will now allow us to search and select potential sponsors who have the same determination to make a difference in the lives of the families of our fallen soldiers. We have already begun applying for various grants and meeting with possible sponsors. Russ made his journey out west in the beginning of December and met with a few potential sponsors and we are excited to hear back from them.

We are hoping these sponsors that will help us to keep on track with our Fallen Hero Flower Placements in 2010. We currently have four of these events planned for this year but this could change if we can find the financial resources to keep expanding our reach to more National Cemeteries. Please visit the “National Cemeteries” section to learn more about our 2010 Fallen Hero Flower Placements.

Visit to Las Vegas

I was so excited when we got our official 501c3 designation from the IRS. It came at the right time because I was so worried that I could not continue to personally fund our efforts anymore!

As soon as we obtained our 501c3 designation, I decided to expand our efforts West. So I decided to spend time with one of our Flowers for Heroes Board of Directors Members, Myra Peterson-Love. I traveled to Las Vegas to spend time at her home and office to prioritize our efforts for 2010. In addition, I wanted to meet with potential sponsors. I had the opportunity to present Flowers for Heroes to several influential people in Las Vegas. I was met with positive feedback about what we have accomplished since our launch in June and got commitments to take the next step. Overall, I felt that my trip was productive and very successful.

I look forward to returning for the beginning of the New Year and traveling to California to meet with additional potential sponsors that are being lined up. We need money to keep our dream alive to help Gold Star Families and I am ready to go for it.

Russ Phillip Jr.

Walneck’s Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet

This past Sunday the Flowers for Heroes spent time with the biker crowd at the Walneck’s Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet in St. Charles, IL. It was a pain getting everything setup in the morning seeing as the show started at 8am and it was about 150 F outside but we always make the best of everything. Midge and Jerry spent all morning walking around mingling with motorcycle enthusiasts and checking out some cool Harley stuff. Midge had some fun walking around and taking pictures of the most “interesting” people in the crowd.

We met some really cool biker guys and gals who loved to hear what Flowers for Heroes is doing. We passed out flyers and bracelets and were even putting FFH pins on a handful of people. This was good event but next time we need to remember to bring chairs. Jerry forgot to pack them when we loaded the supplies so by noon we thought our legs were going to cramp up. WAY TO GO JERRY!

Thanks for everyone who stopped by our table at this event! We look forward to seeing you at more of these shows as we appear at more and more in 2010.

Breakfast With Santa – Deer Park Town Center

To begin the holiday festivities, Deer Park Town Center will be hosting Breakfast with Santa at California Pizza Kitchen. For $5, families of up to 6 people can eat an entire breakfast and all proceeds will be donated to Flowers for Heroes.

Reservations are required to attend this event, visit deerparktowncenter.tv for more information.

Ceremonies honor those who serve

Check out the media coverage of Flowers for Heroes recent ceremony honoring those who served on ABC7Chicago.com.

The Chicago Wolves

The Chicago Wolves have been so gracious as to give us 100 tickets to the Chicago Wolves Vs. Peoria Rivermen. To say thank you for helping with this past Veterans Day Ceremony, we have asked many of our supporters join us.

JT’s Porch

The FFH team will be back at “The Porch” on Sat 11/21 to watch the UFC fights. They are even going to let us show videos of the Veterans Day ceremony. We hope to see you all there. Thanks again to JT’s Porch, Eric and Kathy for inviting us back.

JT’s Porch is located at:
665 W Roosevelt Rd
Lombard, IL 60148

Nation’s Second-Largest Cemetery is Site of Memorable Veterans Day Ceremony

Elwood, Ill., November 11th – There is nothing more important in our country than taking the time to recognize the men and women who have bravely given their lives in order to serve our country. Veterans Day, an annual holiday which is generally observed on November 11th, exemplifies the previous statement. Not only was Wednesday was a special day and a great opportunity for the United States to show their support and remembrance for the soldiers who have given their lives, but it was also a chance to honor the families of those fallen soldiers.

What began as a special morning eventually led to a very memorable Wednesday afternoon as a Veterans Day ceremony was held at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery by the Flowers for Heroes organization, a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor all of America’s fallen soldiers at veteran cemeteries and to assist America’s Gold Star families – those families who have had father, mother, son, or daughter killed while serving in our nation’s Armed Forces. Flowers for Heroes hosted the event, but were also assisted by the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run and other community organizations and families, who each helped in contributing.

Wednesday’s ceremony provided the opportunity to pay tribute to the members and their families laid to rest at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery – the second largest cemetery in the nation in acreage and also the home to more than 20,000 American heroes. Along with these intriguing facts, the cemetery is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

The ceremony attracted thousands of supporters who made their way around the cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers by placing a bouquet of flowers upon each tombstone. The later portion of the ceremony featured numerous special guests, many of whom spoke before an emotional, teary-eyed crowd. Some of these special guests included Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Miss Illinois, live music from Joe Cantafio and other Military officials. The ceremony also featured a fly-over, taking place in the midst of our nation’s National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance.

For additional information on Flowers for Heroes and the Veterans Day ceremony, please visit www.FlowersforHeroes.org.

The Flowers for Heroes non-profit organization was created in an effort to honor those who died protecting our freedom as Americans and support their families as they struggle with their loss. We recognize that Gold Star families need our support and developed a rewarding way to raise funds in order to provide that assistance.