Today’s speaker was Michael Arlein, Summit resident and head of Summit’s Hometown Heroes program. The original Hometown Heroes Banner program first ran in Harrisburg, PA in 2006. In 2017, it was brought to Michael’s attention by a friend and City council member that New providence was participating in the program and suggested Summit should, also. Long story short, Michael volunteered to head the program. He joined with other interested Summit residents, veterans, and organizations such as the American Legion and the Summit Foundation to begin the process. The City supported the project, but it had to be privately financed. Michael and his committee then raised the $20,000 needed to seed the project and set the ground rules for participation. There were issues ranging from the type of brackets to use for displaying large photos of the vets to who should be eligible to participate. These were eventually worked out and the program has been successfully running, honoring Summits many veterans for the past eight years. Currently there are about 150 banners (two photos per banner) installed on several of Summit's streets and avenues, honoring roughly three hundred veterans. The banners are displayed during the warmer months and then stored to avoid weather damage. There are many veterans in Rotary, and we greatly appreciate Michael’s efforts.