[May 29, 2012]    

The afternoon event was focused solely on the launching of the 1,000 balloons. Anyway, it started out being 1,000, but the event literally 'ballooned" into something amazing.

The project was introduced to the American Legion by Auxiliary member Laura Slayton, who had done a balloon launch several years ago while teaching at West Lincoln-Broadwell.  The Legion members decided to take on the project, with the goal of placing the names of soldiers in 1,000 balloons and in the process raising $1,000 for Legion projects.

The group started planning and collecting names in February, and much to their own amazement, the project ended up with a collection of over 2,800 names and $5,000. The money raised will be used to support special programs and projects for veterans.

Pictures by Nila Smith

Marlene Schrader is still taking names at noon on Monday.

Laura Slayton is all smiles. Even she can't believe how successful this day has been.

 

There were varied reports on exactly how many balloons were inflated, but the consensus seemed to be more than 1,300.

Suzann Lolling, Auxiliary president, chats with guests as they enjoy their lunch.