EXETER – The Wyoming Area Kiwanis Club’s Hometown Hero banner program is continuing with the arrival of more than 60 banners from the printers. On May 16, the banners will be raised in the boroughs of Wyoming and West Wyoming honoring service men and women in time for Memorial Day.
The initiative began in the summer of 2019 when the club was approached by Tom Orbzut, of West Pittston Tomorrow, who has been involved in his borough’s veteran’s street banner program, suggesting the Kiwanians put together a program for Wyoming and West Wyoming.
Wyoming/West Wyoming joins Exeter and West Pittston in a banner program saluting veterans lining main arteries in those boroughs.
The club voted on the project and implemented a plan to proceed. To date, more than 60 banners have been ordered and printed.
The banners will be hung on telephone poles lining Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming; 8th St., Wyoming and West Wyoming; and Shoemaker Avenue, West Wyoming.
The cost per banner is $225 for two years, which includes the banner, hardware to hang them and the installation. The banners will be displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day.
“It’s fantastic. Everyone is has been thrilled with the program and us doing this,” Tiffany Callaio, co-chair of the Hometown Heroes program, said. “We’ve given a proof of the banner to those sponsoring banners and (they) seem happy with the design and are excited to see them displayed.”
Callaio co-chairs the project with fellow Kiwanian and board member Michael Coolbaugh.
According to Coolbaugh, more than 200 poles could be utilized in both boroughs to hang banners.
“They will be a continuing program with the Wyoming Area Kiwanis,” Coolbaugh said. “People can still purchase banners and I know once the banners go up on the poles, we will be getting more people wanting to honor their loved ones.”
Janis Wilson-Seeley, a native of Wyoming had not one but both parents serve in the Army during WWII. Her father, Capt. Robert James Wilson, served in the Army Infantry and mother, 1st Lt. Esther Sipple Wilson, served in the Army Nurse Corp. Both are deceased.
“The banners are fabulous and they are just a great idea,” Wilson-Seeley said. “It’s long overdue and when communities do recognize what the veterans have done to sacrifice for our freedom, it should be recognized and any opportunity we can do to keep their memories alive is wonderful. I think it’s just so easy to forget about what individuals did, and it’s what those individuals did collectively that has kept us all safe and in any war we forget that.”
Those eligible to be displayed on the banners are:
• Individuals currently serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard). For the purpose of this program, “Active Duty” is defined as 12 months of continuous service. A veteran who was honorably discharged or gave their life serving in the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard).
• Permanent residency in Wyoming Borough or West Wyoming Borough or having a family member residing in Wyoming Borough or West Wyoming Borough (spouse, parent, grandparent, child or siblings).
Banner location is based on first come, first-served basis. If you are interested in sponsoring a banner, contact Coolbaugh at 570-237-1080. You may also contact the club by emailing to: wyomingareakiwanis@gmail.com. For those without computer access, you may write for an application to: Wyoming Area Kiwanis Club, 1078 Wyoming Ave., Box 445, Wyoming, PA 18644.
Applications may be picked up the Wyoming Borough and West Wyoming Borough Buildings.
For further information, the Wyoming Area Kiwanis Club could be reached through its Facebook page.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
