California boy places thousands of flags on veterans’ headstones

A 12-year-old boy in California was disheartened when he visited his grandfather’s grave on Veterans Day two years ago. The graveyard was devoid of flags or flowers on any of the veterans’ headstones.

So, Preston Sharp of Redding, Calif., decided to take action.

He set a goal for all of the veterans’ headstones at McDonald’s Chapel in Redding Memorial Park: each would be recognized with a flag and a flower.

But that goal quickly expanded to include the deceased veterans buried at other cemeteries in surrounding counties.

So Sharp created a GoFundMe page for help in reaching his goal. As of May 2017, according to the fundraiser’s page, Sharp “organized the placement of more than 17,500 flags and flowers at cemeteries across Northern California.”

So far, Sharp has raised $30,305 of his $500,000 goal.

Sharp’s website says that locals come out to help him on Sunday mornings – “to clean headstones, replace weathered flags and flowers and say ‘Thank You’ to those that have provided their services to our country.”

For his efforts in recognizing veterans, Sharp has received community awards and recognition from military organizations throughout the state, FOX 46 reported.

And now, Sharp has expanded his goal, according to his GoFundMe. He’s looking to honor “as many veterans as possible between Redding and Sacramento.”

If you would like to contribute to Sharp’s mission to honor veterans, you can find more information at his GoFundMe page.