Colorado Youth Outdoors hasn’t had a U.S. flag on site since . . . well, ever. The CYO Sportsmen, our group of
retirees doing good around the property, found this to be a glaring omission. These guys are a patriotic bunch — many of them have military backgrounds. “Those red, white, and blue colors are important, and we have looked forward to displaying them in front of Richardson Hall,” says Sportsman Doug Riley.
September 21, 2021: Dick Hewson donated $1,000 as a lead gift for the project, in honor of his dad Richard Hewson. Richard served in World War II. From there, donations from other Sportsmen trickled in. Used sporting goods were donated, and Jay Adams found places to sell them online.
Bob Seybert researched flag pole options, and size was discussed. It was important to be able to see it from I-25, without dwarfing Richardson Hall.
$3728.70 was raised, all through the efforts (and wallets) of the CYO Sportsmen. A 35-foot flagpole kit was purchased. A hole was dug, concrete was mixed and shoveled in.
Hoisting the flag pole turned out to be much harder than hoisting a flag . . . the first attempt to raise the pole via strap attached to a backhoe ended with a couple scary moments, a broken strap and a shattered top-cap assembly. The pole laid horizontal for about a week. The second attempt was made on a Chevron Colorado workday, with a new top-cap and a thicker strap. Success!
The National Anthem played as the flag rose above Richardson Hall for the first time on September 15th, with almost 100 Chevron employees in attendance. The CYO Sportsmen said the pledge of allegiance under the flag to start their meeting on September 20th — 364 days after the lead donation was pledged.
There are hopes to further enhance the area with a circular apron around the base, some landscaping, and maybe even a bench or two. Watch the internet for gently used sporting goods – you too could be supporting CYO flag pole beautification!
