Senior Blue Star Moms is a nation-wide organization of parents who have children serving in the military. We have a local chapter of Blue Star Moms who are the ones who install the banners recognizing those who are currently serving in the military. Staff members and students at Lake Arrowhead Elementary School have embarked on a project in which useful donated items are shipped to military servicemen and women serving overseas.
Under the direction of Lake Arrowhead Elementary kindergarten teacher Kathy Flores and with help with help from local Blue Star Moms, useful items such as notebooks, pens and paper, flashlights and batteries, hot teabags, instant coffee and creamer packets, long johns, socks, candy, jerky, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shaving cream and razors, lotions and other personal hygiene items are collected and sent as care packages to armed forces men and women serving overseas.
“These items,” Flores said, “are handed to Rim Blue Star Moms and they pack and ship the care packages,” she said, noting that the Blue Star Moms pay to have them shipped. “They also accept donations to cover the expenses,” Flores said, adding, “Our military care package service project has been running for eight years. Before COVID, we collected over 800 items for Blue Star Moms. Last year, we collected over 4,000 items. My own two children are veterans, and my son is currently deployed in the Middle East, so this project is very important to me.” In trimester two, she said, they collect Play-Doh for patients at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, while the third trimester service benefits the Mountains Humane Society.
Blue Star Moms are a non-partisan, non-political, non-sectarian and non-profit organization, whose mission is to support members and their sons and daughters. The Hometown Hero banners featuring an image of a local member of a military service branch that can be seen blowing in the breeze all across mountain communities.
Last week the Blue Star Moms had eight more banners installed in the mountain communities by Rancho Tree Service, who are working locally with the Edison Company. Rancho Tree Service spent two days using their lift equipment, and paid employee time to install the banners on light posts throughout the mountains. They installed three new banners, and replaced one that had gotten damaged by wind and weather in Crestline, installed one new banner each in Running Springs and in Twin Peaks. In Blue Jay, they retired a banner and put up a new one. Each of these banners, unless sponsored, costs the family $375 per banner to show respect and support of those local residents who are in the military.
The banners are very special and their design has been chosen by the local Blue Star Moms, chapter CH 25 Rim Blue Star Moms. Each banner has their name, a color photo of the military member, their branch of the military and a star. The stars on the banners have a special meaning. The red stars mean the person is currently serving in the armed forces. A silver star means they have been injured while serving. A gold star indicates the service member died for our nation.
On Wednesday in Crestline, Madison Newsham had her banner installed while her mother, Bridget, watched. Madison has been in the Air Force for two years so far and joined after graduating from Arrowhead Christian Academy. “I have chills,” said Bridget as she watched the banner go up. “I am so proud of her.”
Anna Ward, a 2018 Rim High School grad and graduate from California State University, Fullerton, who is serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marines, also had a banner installed honoring her military service. Her banner was sponsored by Ground Werks Plumbing and Rooter, who said, “You are a true American heroine, your sacrifice to this great country deserves the spotlight!!” All the banners for the Mountain Blue Star Moms are produced by NeuArt Studio in Agua Fria.
Shelby Eash works in military counterintelligence as special agent in the Army. She is currently stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. She graduated from Rim High in 2016 and from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Criminal Justice. Her mother was there to watch the banner be installed, along with Pastor Denver of the Road House Biker’s Church in San Bernardino near the Orange Show. He has known Shelby since she was 16 years old. During “Snowmageddon,” the church was very involved in donating and bringing four truckloads of provisions, diapers, food and supplies to the people of Crestline.
Corey Blair, who has been in the Army since 2019, also had his banner replaced, since his banner required repairs from wind damage. These four new banners can be found in front of Rim Bowling Lanes on Lake Drive in the Lake Gregory Village area of Crestline.
The Blue Star Moms send support packages to their military children and those who work with them, as this is one of their main projects. This project by LAE kindergarten teacher Kathy Flores will support these care packages they send, which usually help not only their own child, but all in their group overseas. This is a good project for the students as it helps them understand there are others working for their welfare.
0 Comments