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Do you remember the incredibly beautiful Mosaic Flag crafted by Angie Halford Ré, owner of Unique Mosaics, and donated by Ron Nash, President of Laticrete? CTEF sold raffle tickets and the drawing took place at Coverings 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. After several months of working through logistics, we are so pleased to share with you that the Mosaic Flag has found a home at VFW Post 9400 in Phoenix, Arizona!
The Results of the Mosaic Flag Raffle
The purpose of the raffle was to benefit CTEF, enabling the foundation to continue its mission, educating, certifying tile installation professionals, and offering local, regional, and national training programs for consumers, installers, construction professionals, architects, designers, building inspectors, and sales associates interested in the sale and installation of ceramic tile.
Thanks to all who purchased tickets online and in person at Coverings, CTEF raised over $7000!
And, then, Ron Nash was gracious enough to add to it and make it $10,000.
Thank you!
Who Won the Mosaic Flag Raffle?
The drawing took place on the Coverings show floor and was live on Facebook.
The winner, based in Arizona, was not present. In fact, he didn't realize that the raffle ticket he purchased online had won! And, since he didn't have space at home for the flag mosaic, he asked to donate it back to CTEF.
Since the flag had been moved from Las Vegas to Arizona, CTEF decided to find an organization to donate the flag to close to where the winner lived, and that would appreciate the significance of the piece.
After searching for just that perfect space, CTEF found VFW Post 9400 in Phoenix, AZ.
VFW Post 9400 in Phoenix, Arizona
VFW Post 9400 was established in 1948 and named in honor of WWII POW Pvt. Joseph F. Monfort, December 22, 1918 - January 17, 1945.
WhenCTEF reached out to this VFW Post, Post 9400 Commander Jim Shanley told them,
“This isn’t your granddaddy’s VFW!”
The VFWs of old were dark, smokey, and had plywood walls, but VFW Post 9400 has chosen to go a different direction.
Shanley noted that over time the VFW organization has struggled to welcome new and younger veterans into their location, but Post 9400 was different and everyone there was excited to be chosen to receive the piece and share what makes them different.
Not Too Different From the Tile Industry!
That attitude reminds us of the tile industry!
From WWI to Korea to Vietnam to the Global War on Terror (GWOT), each veteran viewed the incoming veterans differently because of huge gaps in time and technology, very similar to what we see today with mud guys vs foam guys and grids vs spacers and traditional methods vs newer methods.
Brighter, More Modern & Welcoming to a Range of Participants
Through fundraising and generous donations from entities like Cox Communications and Lowes, in their 75th year the Post was able to do a huge transformation of their canteen and upstairs storage area. The canteen is brighter and more modern, and they are gearing their activities to meet a wide range of participants.
They transformed a relatively forgotten storeroom upstairs into a place where memorabilia from the GWOT adorn the walls.
- The space has available the game systems that many of the younger veterans are familiar with and were a huge part of their solace during deployments.
- New computer stations for logging into the internet for work or school line one end of the space.
- A corner is designated for books and toys to occupy the children of veterans who may tag along.
VFW Post 9400's 75th Anniversary Celebration
On June 11th, 2022, CTEF Executive Director Brad Denny proudly visited Phoenix to attend the Post’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, and present the Mosaic Flag to Post Commander Shanley.
Attendees included Post members and guests, sister American Legion members, and other local friends of the Post.
In an incredibly rare event, five WWII veterans visited to help in the celebrations, and a Holocaust survivor presented as a guest speaker. Local businesses came to conduct a job fair, and the local USMVMC cooked up ribs for dinner. A great time was had by all.
Post 9400 plans to secure the Mosaic Flag to the wall of their meeting hall, where all future group events, be it the Post or Cub Scouts or Weddings and other activities, will be able to enjoy its beauty.
Thanks to All Who Contributed to the Mosaic Flag Finding Its New Home!
CTEF feels that seeing these veterans, who have made incredible sacrifices that affect their innermost being and positions on their world outlook, can come together to bridge differences, it should be easy for us as mere tile installers to embrace what each has seen and experienced. We can and should “belly up” to any proverbial “bar” with our tiling comrades and share stories and appreciate what the other has to say.
CTEF is thankful for Angie’s talents, Ron’s generosity, those who participated in the raffle and purchased tickets, and the members of Post 9400 for making the Mosaic Flag Raffle one to remember!
Thanks for reading!
