Big Boarder Bike Rally

Flowers for Heroes visited Shadow Hill Ranch (home of Country Thunder) in Twin Lakes, WI to attend the Big Border Bike Rally. Russ, Midge, Jerry and Jerry’s nine-year-old nephew Brandon all bundled up in warm clothes to spend the day with our Harley enthusiasts.

The event was a hit with plenty of fun entertainment including music, motorcycles, celebrity appearances, games, contests, and much more. We ended up leaving the rally a little early when the snow began to roll in but the FFH team had a blast!

Chicago Route 66 Car Show Lawn Dale

On Sunday September 20th, Flowers for Heroes attended the Chicago Route 66 car show in Lawn Dale to check out some cool cars. Midge and Jerry got there early as the cars were just starting to pull up. It was exciting to see some really cool classics and getting to know some of the local community.

Flowers for Heroes – Gold Star Families Concert – Saturday July 11th

Flowers for Heroes would like to invite you to an exciting night of music, drinks and entertainment. Chicago’s own “The Del Souls” will be performing your favorite music from The 50’s and 60’s.

The night will feature many special guests including Joe Cantafio , The Brooze Brothers and many more to come. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction featuring autographed items from some of today’s biggest entertainers.

When:  Saturday, July 11th, 7:30 – 11:30

Where:  Willowbrook Ballroom

8900 Archer Avenue

Willow Springs, Illinois

Tickets:  $12.00

Click here to see the location of the event.

For questions about the event or other Flowers for Heroes inquiries, please call (877) 923 – 2769 or email info@flowersforheroes.org 

Flowers for Heroes at the Unveiling of the First Mobile Gold Star Wall

Flowers for Heroes was in Peoria Sunday with Pentagon News recognizing over 200 Gold Star Mothers at the unveiling of the first mobile Gold Star wall. Flowers for Heroes donated all flowers for all Gold Star Mom.

Check out Russ and the team!

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.

Flowers to Tribute Fallen Soldiers at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery

Click here for more information about becoming a sponsor for this event (opens in new window)

September 9, 2009 – This Veterans Day, November 11th, a collaboration of local organizations will unite to honor roughly 20,000 veterans and their families at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. With volunteers estimated in the hundreds, every gravesite will be decorated with a bouquet of flowers in admiration of the sacrifices made by the members of our Armed Forces.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the 200th birthday of America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. In honor of this, Flowers for Heroes has teamed up other organizations including the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run to make this Veterans Day something to remember

A special Gold Star Family hour will take place at 8:00am where the families of those buried at ALNC will be presented special bouquets they can place on the resting place of their loved ones. Following the placing of the bouquets, there will be a special Veterans Day Ceremony featuring an aircraft fly-over and special guests including IL Gov. Pat Quinn.

The success of this event rests in the hands of the people and businesses in our community. Supporters can go to www.flowersforheroes.org and sponsor a patriotic bouquet in the name someone who is currently serving or has previously served in our nation’s Armed Forces. For $4, a bouquet of flowers will be placed on the resting place of another great American Hero at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.
“This is a very special day for every American as we honor our most patriotic citizens,” said Jerry Cizek, the Director of Operations at Flowers for Heroes. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together numerous military and veteran organizations at this special celebration for our Veterans.”

Flowers for Heroes is a nonprofit organization that has been working on these types of events all across the nation. At the group’s most recent event this past Independence Day, over 5,000 bouquets were placed at Gettysburg National Cemetery.

For additional information about the Flowers for Heroes organization, upcoming events, or ways to become involved, contact Jerry Cizek at (877) 923-2769 or visit www.flowersforheroes.org.

Contact:
Jerry Cizek, Director of Operations
Flowers for Heroes
(877) 923-2769
www.flowersforheroes.org

JT’s Porch Lombard IL

We spent the evening at JT’s Porch enjoying free coverage of the UFC pay-per-view fights while spreading the word about Flowers for Heroes and its mission to support Gold Star Families.

The night turned out to be one of Flowers for Heroes most successful fundraisers thanks to the donations made by JT’s Porch and their wonderful staff. Thanks to the support of Kathy Bukowy, the Day manager; Eric Brasch, the Evening manager; and the help of Shalandra Olden who helped collect donations and sell Harley V-rod Raffle tickets.

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

Mullens Bar and Grille Fundraiser Success

I would thank Mullens Bar and Grill in Lisle, IL for helping us raise money for our upcoming event at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. The event was a huge success. The manager of Mullens, Ryan Harris, and his staff were extremely supportive and helped make the event a huge success. There was a great turnout from our supporters and we were able to interact with the regulars to continue spreading awareness.

Mike Apostle, one of the newest members to the FFH team, did an excellent job planning and setting up this event. If you didn’t get a chance to make it out last night don’t worry, we will be there next Thursday. Euclid Beverage will be donating a keg of Miller Lite that the bar will sell and donate the money back to FFH. Spice up your Thursday night, come have a beer with good people, and show your support for our troops.

Thank you Mullens and all of our supporters for such a wonderful night!!!

 Midge Ripoli

Mullens Bar & Grill
3080 Warrenville Road
Lisle, IL 60532

Russ and Flowers for Heroes at Illinois Freedom Run

The Illinois Freedom Run is basically about two things; showing our fellow American’s the sacrifices required for our freedom, while strengthening our bond as patriots of the greatest nation under God.  We help by paying tribute to the memory of those fallen from conflicts around the world from 1979, to current conflicts in the Middle East.
We encourage members of all communities near and far to join us for this event. Those who don’t ride a motorcycle can show their support by in other numerous ways. The route is lined with Americans waving American Flags and paying tribute. In the past we have had tens of thousands of participants committed to showing their appreciation for the sacrifices they have made.

The funds raised from donations are used to update and maintain the Memorial Wall while also allowing us to continue honoring our fallen through various community events. In the past we have provided financial assistance for the education of the children of our fallen heroes. Our hopes are that a higher education can lead to  a future with more diplomatic solutions and less military involvement.

The Illinois Freedom Run is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. As we have learned through history, the biggest casualty of any war or conflict is forgetting our fallen.

“A nation that forgets its heroes is a nation destined to be forgotten.”

–Calvin Coolidge–

A Granite Memorial Wall was dedicated on June 19, 2004 to commemorate the servicemen and women who have lost their lives in worldwide conflicts since 1979. The project was conceived by Tony Cutrano and Jerry Kuczera. Being the first of its kind, this remembrance piece was only conceivable because of the materials, labor, and generosity provided by our fellow American’s.

It took 20 years for this monument to be able to honor the American soldiers involved in Vietnam, and almost 60 years to honor our WW II veterans. 

The wall displays the names of our fallen heroes from conflicts around the world. These are the men and women who perished and as a result of our military involvement in Lebanon, the Balkans, Grenada, Somalia, Haiti, USS Cole, USS Stark, and numerous terrorist attacks in Italy, Greece, Scotland, and the current conflicts in the Middle East. 

The first Memorial we erected was in the small town of St Anne Illinois, the hometown of Capt. Ryan A. Beaupre, one of Illinois first casualties in the war against terror. We have donated memorials to all of the veteran homes and hospitals in the state of Illinois in honor of all our veterans, both past and present.
What did you do?

Roughly 30,000 bikers ride motorcycles across Illinois, from Morris to the riverfront in Marseilles where the memorial wall is located. Everyone gathers at the wall following the ride to socialize and reflect on what our ride represents.

How many were there?

28,000 bikers and about 50,000 people showed up in Marseilles for last year’s event. There was live music along with food and drinks. Numerous vendors and other veteran organizations attend to show their support and bring everyone together by providing that feeling of a town fair.

Why did you do it?

This is what Flowers for Heroes is all about.  Our mission is to support Gold Star families, promote patriotism and show our soldiers that we firmly stand behind what they do for our country.  We salute and support all Gold Star fund raising groups.