Miami Proud: Girl Scout creates program to give Old Glory a proper retirement

MIAMI – Most of us don’t know what to do with our American flags once they’re too tattered or torn to be flown.

Before you’re tempted to throw them away, there’s a retirement program that will give Old Glory a proper goodbye. It was created by 18-year-old Girl Scout Amalie Ise who is on a mission to show everyone how they can give their old flags a proper patriotic retirement.

“We created this program which consists of three boxes located in Miami Shores, El Portal, and Biscayne Park where people can put the flags when it’s ready to be retired. And then myself and my Girl Scout troop will retire the flags for them,” said Ise.

Ise dreamed up her American flag retirement program as part of her Gold Award project for her Girls Scouts troop. Her grandfather constructed the drop boxes where people can place their old flags.

But Ise needed help broadening her reach, so she enlisted the help of the Miami Shores Rotary Club.

“What made the difference was that she was asking for a partner. She wanted to work with us, not just money but have us help her with the project, work with her, the supplies, everything she gave us a presentation,” said former club president Neil Kodsi. “I’ve been practicing as a trial lawyer for 30 years and her presentation rivaled many of the presentations I’ve seen in the courtroom.”

Thanks to this collaboration, Ise and the Miami Shores Rotary Club will keep the program going once she heads off to college.

What started out as a Girls Scout project has turned into a meaningful way to not only honor this country but also those who serve it.

“It feels like I’m doing something good for my country that a lot of people may not really know about or something that is not really thought about that often. So it’s kind of like giving back in a way,”said Ise.

For that, we salute Ise’s efforts which truly make Miami proud.