We spent some time earlier this week talking to Nikki White, the founder of The American Flag Project, and getting to know her and her passion for this organization. Currently Nikki is the only one involved in the project, and she hopes to change that.
Nikki said the reason she started this project was, “Because I want to be non-political and raise patriotism and voter participation. So we do it one flag at a time. Our mission statement is to hand out 10,000 flags a year, free, to raise patriotism. ”
Nikki brought up the fact that she had heard of a research paper that discussed what just seeing a flag can inspire. “University’s in the Midwest put together a research project to see the effect of the America flag. The research project showed that a single exposure to an America Flag raises patriotism and voter participation, and lasts from 8-10 months. So I said to my husband, I don’t want to be a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. I want to be a citizen, and I want people to think like citizens, and so if the flag influences that, all we need to do is hand out flags. So we started the non-profit organization to give out flags. We run on donations, we are non profit, and that is what we’ve been doing. ”
I asked Nikki how the community could help, and she said, “I am running out of energy, and I am looking for somebody to take over the project. I would like it to continue. They need to have equal passion for this country, and a willingness to make themselves available. In order to support the business, your non-profit business, and you just give away things based on just cash donations, you aren’t going to make it. So we also sell American flag, and American flag related items. I have a wholesale relationship and I get them at much cheaper rates and I sell them, the 3 x 5 America Flag I sell for $10 less than Home Depot or Lowes. I sell flag poles, I sell commercial and residential flag poles; so that how the organization makes some money. For a while I had jars all over town, with flags in it and you could pick up a flag there and put in a donation there or not. With my husbands condition, I have stopped doing that because I am not free to spend the day running around generating promoters for the project. The community can also put flags in their yards. That’s the project; I am a firm believer in keeping things simple.”
“So that research proved that it would work, and I believe it does. I think people recognizing and seeing flags all over the place, even if they are ‘anti-Americans’, they get reminded that they are making that choice. It is an important decision and flags can do.”
Nikki said that, “I am always looking for volunteers, as is any non-profit organization.”
If this is a project that tugs at your heart strings, and you want to get involved or even take it over, you can reach out to Nikki White by using the following information below:
email: theamericanflagproject@gmail.com
Phone: 386-986-6484
website: theamericanflagproject.org
