Bureau Valley FFA members and section officers pose for a photo after collecting their flags.
Bureau Valley FFA members are taking initiative to share patriotism within their community. Bureau Valley is a small town in rural Illinois, and Highway 40 is the main route of transportation for not only community members, but also people from many surrounding areas. Officers Katrina Wahl and Kellen Wall noticed there were many tattered or damaged flags that lined the road, and felt they needed to take action within their community. A plan was made, and the “Forty Flags on 40” project began.
The officers came up with a goal to replace 40 American flags along Highway 40. They started with business outreach, which included sending out a survey and asking business owners whether they had any old or tattered flags that were in need of proper discarding and replacing. From there, they divided into groups and tackled their idea. The task was not easy, but they prepared well. The team invited fellow officer teams within their section to join them. In the end, 35 businesses reached out and said they had flags available.
The team split off into groups, collecting each flag and replacing it as they went. The community responded positively, and the members loved being able to embrace the value of patriotism while connecting with other FFA members who have the same core values as them. Bureau Valley FFA successfully collected all 40 flags.
After their project concluded, members invited all the businesses and people they had connected with to come to a flag folding and burning ceremony, which was hosted by an organization called Flags of Freedom, to properly honor the flags and dispose of them. After the event, the team put together and posted a YouTube video (see link below) that explained all the folds of the flag, along with a demonstration.
“Each new flag we raise along Route 40 reminds us patriotism isn’t just about the colors in the wind — it’s about renewing a promise to honor the sacrifice, the unity and the freedom that the red, white and blue stand for,” says Katrina Wahl, who’s serving as the vice president of the building communities committee. Wahl and Wall, the president of the building communities committee, agree that this event was meaningful and unifying within their small community.
The Bureau Valley FFA Chapter continues taking initiative to share and preserve patriotism in its community, and members are dedicating their time to “Living to Serve” the United States of America. Use the link below to watch their video on the importance and the folding of the flag.
