Perhaps there is no greater symbol of our nation than our nation’s flag. The red, white and blue is instantly recognizable, and an enduring reminder of our country’s core values of freedom, liberty and justice. As Rotarians, we start each meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Yet, in our club’s hotel meeting room, where we gather each Tuesday, there was no flag in the room. So our club decided to donate a U.S. flag and flagpole to the Residence Inn by Marriott for the meeting room. At our first meeting with the new flag, members Sandy Aldana and Kingston Stark (photo left), who are each military veterans, led our club in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a great way to start the meeting, and gave our members a tremendous sense of pride. Rotary has its fair share of symbols as 
well. Our club recently purchased a Rotary stand-up banner. It includes our club name, the iconic Rotary wheel logo, and basic information about our meeting day. The new banner, too, is a symbol of pride for our club. Recently, our executive board took a photo (right) with the new banner. There is both power and pride in the symbols on display at our meetings. We encourage you to reflect on the feelings and values that each of these symbols evoke.