Colorado group raises money to get American flags in Jefferson County classrooms

A group in Jefferson County is working to get an American flag into every classroom in that Colorado district. They made their first delivery to North Arvada Middle School on Veterans Day.  

"It's sacred," Navyveteran Sam Bandimere said.

"It's a symbol of my homeland a symbol of freedom," Army veteran Ron Noble said.

"Respect, you know. The flag means everything to the U.S.," Dan Wolf said.

These veterans say the flag's importance is hard to put into words, but it's something they want future generations to understand.

Noble served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971, including one year in Vietnam.

"That effort means a lot because it's a demonstration of the patriotism that exists in this country, that people do care," he said.

The effort is to get an American flag into every Jefferson County classroom that needs one is led by Lindsay Datko and the parent group Jeffco Kids First.

Datko says it's important to have students learning under that banner.

"For me personally it just reminds them of all the opportunities that they have as individuals," she said.

Datko says it's also required.

Under state law in a public school, an American flag shall be displayed permanently and prominently when an academic class is in session.

"We decided we are going to this Veterans Day use that opportunity to reach out to principals and see how many missing American flags there are in our schools and provide them through our organization," Datko said.

More than 50 volunteers from the group contacted principals across the district. One thousand flags were requested. A total of $10,000 was raised from donations made in honor of veterans. And now those flags are being delivered.

"We just saw there wasn't a lot of flags in our community spaces so that really prompted and inspired us to get some of those flags into those spaces," North Arvada Middle School Assistant Principal Zach Kooiman said.

Fifty-five flags were donated to that school on Veterans Day by veterans and the first of those flags were unwrapped and then put into place.

It's a moment that to some may feel seems insignificant, but to veterans like Noble, it was everything.

"It's our flag," he said fighting back tears.

JeffCo Kids First is still collecting donations and hopes their mission spreads across the state.