Volunteer brings Veterans Memorial to fruition

Eric Flasher, 49, has spent most of his adult life volunteering in the community. The Miami Twp. resident’s parents served as role models.

“I had a couple early influences,” Flasher said. “I watched my parents volunteer for various foundations and I had a Scout leader who was very influential. I decided to volunteer as a way of saying thank you for the people who helped me when I was growing up.”

One of Flasher’s main priorities is the Community Foundation, which was established 12 years ago with the goal of improving the community. The Community Foundation is a subfund of The Dayton Foundation, which manages all the funds for the community foundation.

Flasher’s other volunteer activities include his involvement with the Scouting program for nearly 30 years. He currently serves as the awards chairman for Wright Brothers district.

What he does: “Our board always tries to have a large, medium and small project going at any time. A large project was the Veterans Memorial we completed. We are looking into adding some dog parks into the community. A medium project would be contributions to fire and police departments, and small projects would be giving a grant to the library.”

How person got involved: “Eleven or 12 years ago I saw a blurb in a newspaper and I called for more information. Shortly thereafter I became a trustee.”

What kind of qualifications should a person have to get involved with this group: “You need to live or work in the township, and have an interest in creating a better community. We also have two trustee positions open.”

Most satisfying part about volunteering: “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. When I was Scout Master I think that was my favorite because you can touch other people’s lives.”

Most memorable moment of volunteering: “One of my favorite memories was the dedication of the Veterans Memorial. The committee worked for seven years to raise funds, get approval for the land and get it constructed. Now it’s a permanent memorial, and it spurred the township to host a breakfast memorial.”

How to get involved: Volunteers are needed in fundraising, community outreach or a webmaster. Phone: (937) 291-1412.

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