Banner effort

FORT RECOVERY — Sophie Pearson noticed in her history class that Vietnam War veterans weren’t recognized as much as those from previous wars.

She had seen banners on light poles displaying veteran names in other towns, but not in her village. At the time, Pearson, a junior at Fort Recovery High School, was also looking for a project to complete for her gold award, the highest achievement attainable as a Girl Scout. That’s when she decided to look into getting similar banners set up around Fort Recovery.

“It (was) a perfect way to thank the Vietnam veterans and also at the same time, just thank the veterans in our community,” she said.

She approached village administrator Randy Diller and requested permission to put up banners around the village. Diller welcomed the idea, noting it had been discussed for years.

“I said, ‘Absolutely it is OK,’” he said. “Somebody needs to take charge of it … she took it and ran with it, which was great.”

Pearson connected with Stars & Stripes Graphix in St. Mary’s, Ohio, to design the banners.

She began reaching out to veterans who attended Fort Recovery schools or lived in Fort Recovery. She and her mother, Amy, posted the application on Facebook and started visiting groups in Fort Recovery such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars post to reach her audience.

“I had complete faith in her, but I knew that it was gonna be a lot of work,” Amy Pearson said. “I think through the whole process that she’s learned quite a bit about how to deal with the public … we had a lot of roadblocks along the way, but I’m very proud of her.”

Each banner is double-sided and costs approximately $65, paid by each applicant. That doesn’t include the amount for the brackets, which in total came to around $5,000 –– it cost about $2,000 more than originally estimated because of rising material prices. Sophie Pearson received donations from several local organizations for the project to help cover the bill.

By the end of July, Pearson had received 178 applications. She spent time putting information into a database for the graphic design company and then waited for the prints.

One week ago, on Sept. 15, she started hanging the first round of banners around the village.

Pearson has put in at least 100 hours of work –– fundraising, public speaking and inputting banner data — into the project. She’s also planning a second printing for veterans who weren’t able to get banners in the first round.

Through the process, Pearson has picked up some new skills. She’s also connected with local veterans, hearing stories from their time in the service. Amy Pearson recalled a man who became teary-eyed while dropping off forms for himself and his son.

“I just feel like, when they drop those forms off, they’re just really pouring out their hearts to us,” she said.

Applications for the second banner printing are due Dec. 31, and Pearson will be hanging them sometime in the spring. Eligible veterans can be alive or deceased. The application requests the veteran’s name, rank, military branch, years served, the war they served in and any high honors they received (Purple Heart, bronze, silver and gold stars).

Sophie Pearson can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (419) 375-0153. She’s also noted applicants are welcome to stop by her home to drop off applications in-person if they prefer.

She views the banners as a thank you to those in service.

“(Veterans are) dedicating their whole lives to something like this just to try and save ours,” Pearson said. “So (this is) a little thing I can do just to feel like I’m giving back to them, and a way of saying thank you.”