To honor this summer’s patriotic holidays, SAFE Credit Union is holding its second annual American flag collection drive from Friday, May 23 through Wednesday, July 30. The drive invites the public to bring in old and damaged flags for proper retirement.
You can bring your flags to any of SAFE's 17 branches in the Greater Sacramento area and at its Folsom headquarters, This year, SAFE is partnering with the Aerospace Museum of California to host a collection box as well.
“SAFE is honored to provide the service to our members and the public,” says SAFE Credit Union Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer Mike McCarthy, who is a veteran and founder of a SAFE employee group called VALOR (Veterans and Loved Ones Resource). VALOR members are dedicated to supporting active military personnel, veterans, and their families.
SAFE will forward the collected flags to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6604 in Folsom for them to arrange retirement ceremonies under the U.S. Flag Code.
This year, SAFE is extending the collection period from Memorial Day weekend to the end of July, a time that includes Memorial Day, Flag Day, and the Fourth of July.
| SAFE Credit Union Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer Mike McCarthy served in the U.S. Army and National Guard. |
“Last year, we conducted this for a few weeks around Flag Day and the Fourth of July and gathered more than 300 flags,” McCarthy says. “People told us that they appreciated us providing this service. We’re excited that this year we are expanding the collection time and adding the Aerospace Museum as a place to drop off flags.”
Tom Jones, president and CEO of the Aerospace Museum of California, says “The Aerospace Museum of California is honored to partner with SAFE Credit Union’s VALOR group, the VFW, and other community leaders to respectfully retire our nation’s flags. This collaboration is a meaningful tribute to our veterans and a solemn reminder of the honor and respect our flag deserves as a symbol of our nation's enduring service and sacrifice.”
SAFE Credit Union Senior Front End Web Developer Christopher Rhodes connected with VFW 6604 to arrange for the post to provide the proper retirement ceremonies. The VFW will forward the flags to American Legion Post 362 to work with Golden Empire Council Scouting in the Greater Sacramento area to conduct the reverent ceremonies as part of their programs.
| SAFE Credit Union Senior Web Developer Christopher Rhodes stands next to one of the flag collection boxes. |
“We appreciate the VFW helping us this year,” says Rhodes. “They do so much to support veterans and causes like this and this is one way they continue to serve the nation and uphold respect for our flag.”
SAFE Financial Services Operations Manager Amy Peeples brought in the first flag for the collection program at SAFE headquarters, a flag once owned by her grandfather, a World War II veteran who died last year at age 98.
“I found it in his garage in a property he owned in Arizona, so I don’t know the history of the flag, but I thought it was perfect to bring it in for VALOR and the flag donation to ensure it gets disposed of properly,” she says.
|
SAFE Credit Union Senior Front End Web Developer Christopher Rhodes, |
SAFE’s 85-year heritage stretches back to 1940, when it started as a credit union serving Army Air Corps personnel at what would later become McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, now home to McClellan Park.
While being a member of the credit union no longer requires military affiliation, today SAFE proudly continues to celebrate and support its many employees and members who are active National Guard and reservists, veterans, and families of active and retired military. The credit union has also awarded several grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations supporting veterans and their families
SAFE Credit Union branches:
- Antelope Branch, 7887 Walerga Road
- Citrus Heights Branch, 7475 Madison Ave.
- East Elk Grove Branch, 9312 Elk Grove Blvd.
- East Sacramento Branch, 6341 Folsom Blvd.
- El Camino Branch, 3560 El Camino Ave.
- Folsom Branch, 2740 Bidwell St.
- Hazel Branch, 5261 Hazel Ave.
- Laguna Branch, 9162 Bruceville Road in Elk Grove
- Land Park Branch, 4700 Freeport Blvd.
- Lincoln Branch, 111 Ferrari Ranch Road
- North Natomas Branch, 2761 Del Paso Road
- Rocklin Branch, 6190 Stanford Ranch Road
- Roseville Branch, 121 N. Sunrise Ave.
- Sunrise Branch, 7601 Sunrise Blvd.
- Watt Branch, 4636 Watt Ave. in North Highlands
- West Roseville Branch, 1541 Blue Oaks Blvd.
- West Sacramento Branch, 2105 Town Center Plaza
