Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1517737
44 | LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2024 | The Flags were not raised in February for Presidents Day, (2/19/24) due to weather conditions. The Flags will be raised for Viet Nam War Veterans Day, (3/29/24). Thank you to those few dedicated resident volunteers who are up "at the crack of dawn" on these special days to put up and take down our flags. Contact for the Flag Brigade – Nick Gercis, nick.gercis@gmail.com. Upcoming Flag Schedule: Viet Nam War Veterans Day: Fri., March 29; Armed Forces Day: Fri., May 18; Memorial Day: Mon., May 27; D Day: Thurs., June 6; Flag Day: Fri., June 14; Independence Day: Thurs., July 4; Labor Day: Mon., Sept. 2; Patriots Day: Mon., Sept. 11; National POW/MIA Day: Fri., Sept. 20; Veterans Day: Sat., Nov. 11; Pearl Harbor Day: Thurs., Dec. 7. To all veterans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! I have never been so proud of those in Solera who supported our care package project when it came before the HOA meeting on Feb. 21. The issue was whether to allow our care package project to continue as a group, as we had over these 19 years. There were questions if we qualified under the new Group Rules, adopted on Jan. 17, 2024. If you were there, you know how the room was filled beyond capacity. All the seats were filled, extra chairs were added, people were standing and more stood out in the hallway. Had there not been the San Diego Zoo trip that filled two large buses that day, we would have had many more supporters. To all those who spoke at the meeting, some with great passion and some with reasoning and logic, God bless you all. It gives me great pleasure when we can support a service member who has ties to someone in Solera. Over the years there have been many. We are currently supporting two such service members. Young Seaman David McMillan is serving aboard the Aircraft Carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. He is the grandson of Solera residents, Keith and Sharon Thompson. We have also supported their nephew Graham Sharp in 2011, when he served in Iraq and their granddaughter Celeste Faciane in 2020-2021, in Syria. We are also sending packages to Solera resident Jack Clark's grandson for the second time. We supported him as a First Lieutenant in Iraq, back in 2018. He is now a Captain and a Company Commander. As the Commander, he doesn't need anything. We are making the packages, suitable for him to pass them on to his troops. Most of our packages are mailed in two sizes of boxes. First, there is the Postal Large Flat Rate box. It doesn't matter if it weighs two pounds or forty-two pounds, the price is the same. It is great for heavy items. When it comes to lightweight items such as Cup of Noodles, Ramen Noodles, cookies, chips, Christmas decorations, etc., then we use "apple boxes," that we obtain from the local grocery stores. The two photos, show samples of both types of boxes. They are at my front door, ready for postal pickup. Thank you for caring. ~ Jesse Donardt SUPPORT OUR TROOPS VETERAN ASSISTANCE FLAG BRIGADE Billy (Mitch) Mitchell is a resident and Veteran who has voluntarily worked with individuals and the Veterans Administration to assist Veterans in obtaining benefits. If you are a Veteran and want to know which benefits you may be eligible for, contact Mitch at (951) 797-0800.