Local realtor Rhonda Navratil lives in Summerside, and every year ahead of Canada Day she makes it her mission to give the south Edmonton neighbourhood a bit of a patriotic boost.
For the past several years, Navratil has gone through the community and placed a small Canadian flag on the lawn of as many homes as possible.
“It’s just a cool thing to do. I believe in giving back where you live and where you work,” she said. “This is the neighbourhood that I do a lot of work in and I have a lot of clients here, a lot of friends and neighbours that are just awesome and I just want to help support the community.
“It’s a fun thing to do, it’s a feel-good thing to do and the community really loves it and gets involved in it.”
READ MORE: What to do, eat and wear on Canada Day (if you want to be a ‘true’ Canadian)
In the first couple of years, Navratil was able to get to about 1,500 homes. Last year, she hit 3,700 and this year she hopes to hit 4,200 houses with the help of her “flagateers.”
“The community’s been really supportive so there’s a lot of people coming out today and tomorrow and over the weekend to help,” she said.
“I’m starting early this year because I’ve got a lot of flags to get up.”
Karen Carreau moved to Summerside a few years ago and said she loves seeing the community painted in red and white. She’s excited to be able to help in the decorating efforts this year.
“I have always enjoyed having a flag on my lawn and I’m home with a baby this year so I had some free time and thought I would help out,” Carreau said.
“I think it brings our community together and I really enjoy when you drive around and you see a flag on every lawn and I just think it brings us together.”
READ MORE: How to celebrate Canada Day 2016 in Edmonton
The project isn’t cheap. While she orders the flags in bulk, Navratil estimates each flag costs $1.05, putting a roughly $5,000 price tag on the project. Navratil said it’s a small price to pay to bring people together, and celebrate their country.
“I believe in Alberta and Canada and Lake Summerside.”
If you’d like to help hand out flags, head to Navratil’s Facebook page.
Comments