We wanted to do something different to GIVE BACK and say "THANK YOU".
We asked our fans and supporters to tell us about great Americans in their communities, and received hundreds of nominations. We ultimately selected five of them to receive commemorative wooden American flags. We traveled across the USA to meet these great Americans and thank them in person. Now, we’re proud to start sharing their stories with you, beginning with New York artist Scott LoBaido.
For 25 years, Scott has become famous painting inspiring images of American flag art on canvas and large-scale versions on schools, homes, firehouses, and police stations. Near Houston’s Hobby Airport, for example, he used 900 gallons of paint to create an enormous 3.5-acre rendition of the Stars & Stripes. But it was another project that prompted Scott’s friend, B. J. Greene, to nominate him for Flags of Valor’s Giving Back Tour: Motivated by respect and gratitude for veterans who have sacrificed so much—including their blood and their lives—to protect our flag and all it stands for, Scott set out to paint a different view of Old Glory on the walls of 50 VFW and American Legion posts, one in each of state. He spent six months celebrating America, thanking our service members and using his artistic talents to bring awareness and support to veterans across the country.
We knew we had to start our Giving Back Tour by thanking him. So, we headed up to New York City. We know you’ll enjoy the video of our visit with this great American—including his reaction to being presented with the first American flag he’s ever received.