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Sylvan Lake’s Flags of Remembrance looks to fill all 128 spots

Allan Cameron says there are still a handful of honour plaques available for the 2019 event
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One hundred and twenty-eight Canadian flags will fly along Hwy. 11 and in Centennial Park in Sylvan Lake beginning on Sept. 21st for the annual Flags of Remembrance ceremony, and the organizers hope to have a plaque and name attached to each flag. File Photo

The annual Flags of Remembrance ceremony is a little over a week away and the organizers are still looking for plaque sponsorships.

The annual act of remembrance raises 128 Canadian flags, which represents the 128,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have died.

Each flag is meant to bear a plaque with a name of a past or present veteran, and this year Veteran Voices of Canada has expanded the ceremony to also included first responders.

Allan Cameron, founder of the Veterans Voices of Canada and organizer of the Sylvan Lake event, says there are still a few flags in need of a plaque.

“Our goal is to have people walk the flag line and read the names of people who have served our country, whether in the military or a first responder,” said Cameron.

With the ceremony so close, Cameron says he would like the handful of remaining plaques to be sold before the ceremony on Sept. 21 in an ideal world.

“We are pretty close to having them all sponsored, and we’d really like to see them all sponsored this year.”

The ceremony is the main fundraiser for Veteran Voices of Canada, which documents the stories of Canadian veterans.

Having all 128 flags sponsored helps the organization to document and travel across the country to get to veterans.

Cameron said this year the organization plans to start speaking with younger veterans across Canada.

“This is our only fundraiser… we need the community’s support. We have had great support from the Town [of Sylvan Lake] but we need the support of the community and businesses as well” he said.

“There has got to be 128 people and businesses out there who want to remember a veteran or first responder.”

The ceremony has also added a site sponsorship to this year, and is still looking to fill that role.

Cameron says there are businesses interested in the site sponsorship for next year, but none so far have stepped forward for the 2019 ceremony.

He continued to say he hopes to make the 2019 ceremony a success for the event to continue.

“I think everyone around here knows how much of a difference this makes… It’s not just remembering for one day it is so much more,” said Cameron.

An honour plaque costs $250, and sponsorship can be made online or by contacting Cameron at ac@vetvoicecan.org.

More information about the event and sponsorships can be found at www.vetvoicecan.org.