• Flight troubles: Brooke missed her initial flight from Austin to Atlanta when she ran into confusion regarding the location of her departure gate.  When she figured out she was on the wrong side of the airport, she broke into a full-out sprint to try to catch her flight - only to be stopped cold at the door.  Brooke was balling and completely out of breath, but she tried to negotiate her way on to the plane, regardless.  She mentioned that she was a "minor traveling alone," but the gate attendant was unsympathetic.  However, there was a happy ending to the story as Delta provided Brooke with a free ticket to Paris as a result of her troubles (and because it was a Delta attendant who sent her in the wrong direction in the first place)!  Though Brooke ultimately made it to France, she mentioned that she was exhausted after her "25 hour travel day and 4-5 plane rides!" On top of everything else, she lost her luggage in the process as well!  Regardless of the challenges in actually getting to France, she was greeted by her host family with wine and cheese, the perfect French welcome!

•  Veggies anyone?: Brooke's host family was a vegetarian family, so veggies took the place of some of Brooke's favorite foods for a month.  According to Brooke, "it was hard being a vegetarian, especially coming from Texas!"

•  Rotary Abroad: Brooke attended a Rotary meeting while abroad, and she described the meeting as long, with a "food bar like" warmup to the meeting, where it didn't feel like anyone was in a hurry.  She also described a long picture taking process after the meeting was done.  See the picture below of Brooke and her flag (along with other flags garnered by Rotarians on recent visits to California & Wales).

•  A Tourist's Dream: Brooke had the opportunity to travel to multiple locations throughout France, including Paris (which she referred to as "every girl's dream," though she was wholly unimpressed with the size of the Mona Lisa - too funny), Bordeaux (which included cathedrals galore and another transportation challenge as all trains in the city were shut down for 3 hours), and the Basque region of France (where Brooke enjoyed the food fair but was unimpressed with the region's excitement concerning their Independence Day - "they didn't seem very excited about it," proclaimed Brooke!).  Visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triumph were highlights of the trip.  

•  Reunion Time: Brooke had the opportunity to visit Javier ("Javi"), our former Rotary exchange student from Spain, in Zaragoza, Spain (Javi's home town) during her trip.  She said that the four day side trip was a nice way to reconnect with Javi and his family.

•  Back at Home: Brooke had the experience of a lifetime, and in her words, she "learned a lot about culture, the world, and myself."  She already references the trip all of the time, and already misses the cooler weather.  However, Brooke said that she was happy to come home as well, actually "shedding a tear" when she saw Chick-fil-A in the Atlanta airport upon her arrival back in the States.

Hello All,

I am emailing this to everyone who worked on last year's Walk-A-Fun event.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in helping to coordinate this event, please forward them this email.  I am going to make an announcement at lunch too!

We are hoping to add a few more "incentive" activities to boost attendance.  

To make this a success, we need the help of all Rotarians - but we start with a strong committee!  So, let's brainstorm, assign tasks, delegate, and get it started!

Kristy Vandenberg
Rotary Club of Kerrville

The Tivy Athletic Booster Club has announced the Tivy Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inductees slated to be honored at a formal ceremony on Sept. 20 at Antler Stadium prior to the the Antlers vs. Boerne Champion Friday night football game.

This year’s inductees include Layton Goleman, Tivy Class of 1951 and Thirman Dimery, Tivy Class of 1988. As the “Tivy Moment,” Jon Chambers, Class of 1979, will be honored. And, the “Avid Supporters” this year are Leonard “Lightning” Hard

The process

Inductees into the Hall of fame will be individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the Kerrville I.S.D. in the field of athletics either as an athlete, a coach, or an avid supporter.

An athlete must have earned two letters or their equivalents in one sport or one letter or its equivalent in two or more sports. The athletic record of the individual must be so outstanding that there is no question of his/her qualifications for the Hall of Fame. An athlete will not be considered until at least 10 years after his/her class has graduated.

The committee

The selection committee shall consist of seven members and have graduated from Kerrville Tivy High School. All members must be a member of the Kerrville Tivy Athletic Booster Club. Selections shall be made in early August each year so that recipients have adequate time to plan for attending inductee ceremony.

The induction ceremony will be held at the second home football game of the season or a date selected by athletic department officials.

Congrats to Cody Miller son of Stephanie Miller. He made chief(#220) at Camp Stewart this summer and was awarded LT of the term.

Congrats to Gina Carter on her marriage she is now Gina Daniels, husband Jim Daniels

Prayers for our school athletes as they have started practices and games. Football, Volleyball, and Cross Country.

Loyd Painter was a naval officer on the SS Liberty in 1967, during the Six Day War north of the Sinai Peninsula. The Liberty was attacked by Israeli Air Force planes and  torpedo boats in International Waters. The attack was reported to be an accident by the Israelis, where they mistakenly took the Liberty for an Egyptian ship. Others dispute this claim.

Thirty four Americans were killed on the ship and many wounded, including Lloyd. Two of Lloyd's good friends died during the attack, and he later had the difficult task of accompanying their widows to the ship yard back home to retrieve their belongings. The survivors of the attack were reassigned and separated, apparently to keep them from telling their stories.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a national volunteer movement founded in 1977. Hill Country CASA is a member of the National and Texas CASA Associations. There are more than 1,000 CASA programs nationwide and 72 CASA programs in the state of Texas.

Hill Country CASA provides volunteers who passionately advocate for abused and neglected children.

When a child enters the foster care system because his or her home is no longer safe, a judge may appoint a committed volunteer to help them. That volunteer is called a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA.

CASA volunteers are screened and highly trained and then appointed by judges to represent and advocate for a child’s best interests in the child protection system. CASA volunteers are each assigned to help one child or set of siblings at a time, so they can focus on giving that child or sibling group the individualized advocacy and attention they need. CASA volunteers save taxpayers money and children’s futures by helping children find a safe, permanent homes as soon as possible.

CASA continues to provide valuable volunteer advocacy for every abused child in the Hill Country. CASA volunteers serve as the “eyes and ears” for the judge in child welfare cases. This includes researching each child’s situation and making objective recommendations to help them reclaim their childhoods from abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers are frequently the only stable presence in these children’s lives as they navigate the foster care system. These volunteers bring three critical qualities to their work: they focus on one case at a time; they bring a unique perspective to the court case; and their sole objective is representing the best interests of the child.

Hill Country CASA volunteers have enabled the organization to provide representation for 100% of all children in their service area – 100%!!  There are currently over 80 volunteers working 83 cases – serving over 140 children in our community.  Volunteers spend countless hours and travel thousands of miles to help children in need.  The gig is not an easy one, but INCREDIBLY meaningful.  If this is for you, volunteer today!

Satellite Meeting February 19^th

Dear Club,

Several of your Rotary friends recently gathered at Nimitz Elementary to see one of our club grants put into action by watching kindergarteners work with the sphero balls.  It was excited and fun to watch them.  We will have another opportunity in the next few weeks at Tom Daniels if anyone is interested in seeing these things in action.  

We have another great speaker coming to talk to us today about "Hiking the Appalachian Trail."  Many of you know Lorie Hess and know she's a great speaker. 

We also have 3 new members that we will be welcoming to the club.  Please make them feel welcome by offering to have them sit at your table.   

Rob

Also -

Upcoming Events:  

Habitat Ground Breaking on Rotary House March 23

Veterans Breakfast is April 18

2nd Annual First Responder's Golf Tournament - April 22 

 Today’s historians work hard to dispel beliefs about the man engendered by the earlier and popular ABC miniseries. Still, after hundreds of books, documentaries and movies, misconceptions persist. Some of the most outlandish claims made about him include those stating David Crockett.

Wasn’t Davy:

Crockett signed his correspondence with “David.” In print, others—including President Andrew Jackson—called him Davy. Crockett even referred to himself as Davy during a speech in Ohio on July 12, 1834.

Was lazy:

Crockett worked as a drover, freighter, farm hand, hatter, farmer, soldier, scout, magistrate, justice  of the peace, town commissioner,  militia officer, Tennessee State legislator, member of the U.S. House  of Representatives, hunter, trail  blazer for new roads, author and  finally a volunteer soldier in the  1835-36 Texas Revolution.

Was uncouth:

Contemporaries described him as: “A pleasant, courteous, and interesting man, who, though uneducated in books was a man of fine instincts and intellect…a man of high sense of honor, of good morals, not intemperate, nor a gambler” (Sen. Ephraim H. Foster); “…rarely, if ever, exhibited in conversation or manner, attributes of coarseness of character that prevailing popular opinion very unjustly assign to him. I cannot recall to mind an instance of his indulgence in gasconade or profanity” (painter John Gadsby Chapman); and “just such a one as you would desire to meet with if any accident or misfortune had happened to you on the highway” (Niles’ Register, September 7, 1833).

Was of diminutive stature:

Contemporaries described Crockett as: “Tall in stature and large in frame” (Helen Chapman); “About six feet high—stoutly built” (Cincinnati Mirror and Western Gazette of Literature); “About six feet high, weighed about two hundred pounds, had no surplus flesh, broad shouldered, stood erect, was a man of great physical strength” (John L. Jacobs).

Never wore a coonskin cap:

Matilda Crockett said of her father’s departure for Texas that “He was dressed in his hunting suit, wearing a coon skin cap.” James Davis, seeing Crockett leaving Memphis for Texas wrote, “He wore that same veritable coon-skin cap and hunting shirt.” Sarah S. King recalled Alamo child survivor Enrique Esparza stating Crockett “Wore a buckskin suit and a coonskin cap.”

Abandoned his family:

Crockett left his family in autumn 1835 and died at the Alamo in March 1836. Before setting out he wrote to his brother-in-law, “I want to explore Texas well before I return.” Daughter Matilda recalled that he wanted to move his family immediately, but her mother convinced him to look the country over first. He arranged a barbecue and barn dance for family and friends before he left, hardly the actions of a man abandoning his family.

Kept a journal at the Alamo:

Richard Penn Smith created the spurious Col. Crockett’s Exploits  and Adventures in Texas under Crockett’s name four months after  the frontiersman’s death. Many  works still cite it as Crockett’s own.

Was executed after surrendering:

The main source of his “surrender at the Alamo” is the handwritten De la Peña “diary.” Yet no record of this “diary” exists before 1955. Plus, not one page is in De la Peña’s handwriting. A number of details are obviously lifted from other sources available only after De la Peña’s death. The word “surrender” never appears in the document in regard to Crockett. A journal of the Texas campaign in De la Peña’s handwriting mentions the Alamo only in passing and Crockett not at all

      “The month of February is very special in the Rotary calendar since it is designated World Understanding Month. The month also includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary held on February 23, 1905, now designated World Understanding and Peace Day… World Understanding Month is a chance for every club to pause, plan and promote the Fourth Avenue of Service-Rotary’s continued quest for goodwill, peace and understanding among people of the world.”

     Many of our clubs and their representatives are already participating in activities that promote world understanding through humanitarian service in support of a variety of international projects.

    Please consider what your club can do to promote more World Understanding in our Rotary World.

http://www.cmjckerrcounty.com/about-cmjctrade.html

            This is a great program that was started back in 2005 here in Kerrville. The Christian Men’s Job Corp helps through classes, counseling and much more get men prepared for the workforce. They teach them life skills, baking, anger management, work ethics and much more. It is the second program in the Nation like this and has been one of the leading ones sense they started. Their programs are 12 weeks long and they have one in the fall and one in the spring. The sessions are in the evenings and they run from 5:30-9:30 two days a week. Mr. Jones is very passionate about what he does and pointed out that most of these guys just lack hope and that is what he wants to do is give them hope. They are funded only through local donations so please reach out to them and donate if you are able to.

       I'm very excited about our upcoming Rotary Satellite service project with the Christian Ministries CSI group. As we discussed at our last meeting, the volunteer day for this project will be April 13th.

     We will work as a team/group to help members in the community to fix up and clean up their properties. The CSI volunteer day includes many different organizations in Kerrville. I hope to have a good turnout to represent our Rotary group!"

• Born: Apr 23, 1977 (age 41) · Junction, TX
• Office: Member of the Texas House of Representatives (Since 2015)
• Nationality: American
• Spouse: Amanda Murr
• Education: Texas Tech University School of Law · Texas A&M University · Junction High School

Families in Rotary:   

 Please keep Doug & Sue Whinnery in your prayers as she is home recovering

 Prayers for Bob Finch's wife Delores broke her arm, in hospital rehab.

 Prayers for Jacques Dubose is being deployed to flood areas.

 Red Cross Centennial of Hill Country Chapter Celebration Allegria Barn off Hwy 16 5:30 to 8:30 Cocktail Attire.

Dear Club,  

Tomorrow we have another great speaker, Jeffrey Jensen, FBI Special Agent, coming to talk to us about business account takeovers. In order to give him as much time as possible for his presentation, I will be starting the meeting around 11:55 instead of 12:10 so please try to be on time.  We will not have time for much club business so I'm going to give you the announcements via email now:

  1.  Pints for Polio was a success!  What a fun event!  Amanda Taylor is one of our newer Rotarians and she did a FANTASTIC job planning this event.  The music was superb, the food was tasty, and the beverages were top notch.  We will have those final figures for you next week.  If you missed the event and still want to donate, please see either Amanda Taylor, Kristy Vandenberg, or myself.  

2.  We need volunteers who would like to help with the Veterans Breakfast on November 7th which is just 2 weeks away!  If you would like to help, please email Donna Peterson at donna@joecookagency.com.  

3.  We have the Schreiner basketball mixer on November 8th.  If you want details about this get with Kristy Vandenberg.  

4.  Our Christmas Party will be December 12th.  Please save the date.  It will be held this year at the Inn of the Hills.  

5.  Superball planning has begun!  If you are interested in helping plan our big fundraising event, please get with Charlie McIlvain or Amber Thomason to find out how you can help.  Save the date of February 2, 2019.  As you know this is our main fundraiser and our goal is to raise $50,000 that we use for scholarships for local high school and college students and to run our other projects like Blue Santa, Veterans initiatives, advanced training grants for First Responders,  Chalk Fest sponsorship,  Harper 5K walk/run, etc.  It's a fun event with food trucks with awesome food, drinks, and other tailgating events!

6.  Christmas is quickly approaching.  Dave Samuel will be looking for volunteers soon to ring the bell for Salvation Army at Gibson's.  Stay tuned for additional information soon.  

See you tomorrow - five minutes early!!

Rob

This week, we have Bobby Templeton from Ingram ISD.  Many of you will remember Bobby as a past member of this club.  It should be a good presentation as always!  

The First Responder's Golf Tournament went off without a hitch!  For those of you who played or sponsored THANK YOU!  We will have the final figures in the next week or so, but it looks like we made about $6,000 that will go towards our First Responder Training Grants.  This is a huge investment in our community & I thank you all for your support.  

Our next big event will be Pints for Polio on October 20.  This will not just be a beer event, but also for those wine drinkers.  We have several different wines and beers that will be available along with some good eats!  Mark your calendars to attend this event & help out the Foundation!  

Also, make sure you have these other dates on your calendar:

November 7, Veteran's Breakfast

November 21, Thanksgiving Joint Meeting with Kiwanis

December 19, Christmas Party

February 9, Rise Against Hunger & Community Food Drive

Also mixed in late November  and December will be Bell Ringing at Gibson's and Blue Santa.  

Thanks!

Robin

Satellite Meeting September 18^th

• Plan addresses a variety of issues and requirements that will affect the community’s ability to plan for and achieve its vision for 2050.
• Informs capital improvements planning.
• Helps coordinate and guide the establishment of development regulations, including zoning and subdivision ordinances.
• Used as a basis for the review of zoning and development applications

• Land Use
• Economic Development
• Housing
• Community & Neighborhood Development/Placemaking
• Mobility/Transportation
• Water, Wastewater & Drainage
• Public Facilities & Services
• Parks, Open Space & River Corridor
• Downtown Revitalization

• Retail Study
  • Performed by TheRetailCoach, and the
  • Goal - better define our primary and secondary retail trade area, and identify leakage or gaps where the region is underserved by particular types of retail.
  • Recommendations:
    • Enhance marketing efforts and recruitment of retailers, brokers and developers.
    • Pitch Kerrville to retailers and developers as a Retail Trade Area Population – not just a city limits or county population.
    • Begin keeping an updated database of available sites.
    • Recognize that Kerrville is competing with communities throughout the region and state for retail development.
    • Begin attending and taking a proactive role at retail industry trade shows
    • Continue investing in wayfinding and marketing efforts to help drive customers to other areas of Kerrville
    • Take a long term approach - typical development project takes anywhere from 12-36 months.
    • Consider developing a Kerrville retail specific website.
    • Downtown Kerrville - continue to recruit entertainment venues and eating establishments that stay open late.
    • Identify one entity in the community that focuses on retail recruitment, responsible for building and maintaining relationships with retailers, brokers and developers.

• Hotel Study
  • The City commissioned an updated hotel/convention center study in February, 2018.
  • Performed by McCaslin Hotel Consulting
    • Purpose -to perform a market analysis regarding current and future lodging and meeting/event demand.
      • Study addressed new hotel/room supply, mix of demand, and projected demand growth.
  • Deliverables:
    • Recommendations concerning hotel facilities
      • Type
      • Number of guest rooms
      • Size of meeting spaces
      • Food and beverage facilities
      • Brand affiliation
      • Other customer amenities
    • Fair share analysis
    • Economic and employment impact report 
    • A forecast of future financial performance
    • A gap analysis for a public-private partnership
      • To determine probable public investment required to make the project feasible for a private developer.
  • This is a complex project. The City is continuing to perform due diligence on possible partners, possible sites and potential funding sources.

• Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone
  • Enabled by Tax Code, Chapter 311.
  • Approximately 313 TIRZs have been created in Texas - Most successful downtowns have a TIRZ in place.
  • Cities, alone or in partnership with other taxing units, can use this tool to pay for improvements in a zone so it will attract new development, facilitate investment, and bring interest and energy to a designated area.
  • How does it work?
    • Taxing entities contribute ad valorem taxes received from incremental value increases on property within the TIRZ above what is collected in the base year the TIRZ is established.
    • Two ways to create tax increment:
      1) New construction/investment; and/or
      2) Annual appreciation of real property
  • What can a TIRZ Pay For?
    • Cost of public works;
    • Public improvements;
    • Economic development programs; or
    • Other projects benefitting the zone
  • Why create a TIRZ?
    • Catalyst to attract even more potential developers and investment into an area (that may not otherwise occur)
    • Demonstrates commitment to creating a sense of place and identity
    • Benefits an area at large rather than being project specific
    • Provides a funding source without impacting current general fund revenues.
      • Does not impose a new tax - Uses improvements to spur development and raise property values within a zone. Then it captures some of the tax collected on that increase in value into a fund that pays for the improvements.
      • In this case, capture of sales tax is not recommended.
      • Any taxing unit that collects ad valorem taxes from property in the TIRZ may participate, but only a city or county can initiate a project and create a TIRZ.
  • Projected TIRZ Revenue
    • To fund public improvements, the City would contribute a % (yet to be determined) of its real property increment for the following possible projects:
      • Water Facilities and Improvements
      • Sanitary Sewer Facilities and Improvements
      • Storm Water Facilities and Improvements
      • Transit/Parking Improvements
      • Street and Intersection Improvements
      • Open Space, Park and Recreation Facilities and Improvements
      • Economic Development Grants
      • Administrative Costs
    • Potential TIRZ Revenue (Gross - based on 30-year term) at:
      • 50% - $9,637,154
      • 75% - $14,455,730
      • 100% - $19,274,307
    • Potential Boundaries:

• Long Range Water Supply (Including Reuse Water)
• Development Services (address staffing, process and code challenges)
• New Software
• Legion Lift Station
• Public Safety Complex
• Workforce Housing Projects
• Street Maintenance
• Aquatics Center
• Tennis Center
• Parking Garage Updates

Satellite meeting August 21^st

Guests: Jeff Wendling (noon), Jeff Harris (noon), Morgan Bond (guest), Rob Poindexter (noon), & Robin Miears (noon)

Speaker: Robin Miears Kerrville Rotary President

Robin talked with us about her goals for the next year as president. She also went over why she joined Rotary and the different reasons most people do join Rotary. Some of our upcoming events we also talked about are the Labor Day Walk A Fun that Kristy is still needing volunteers for. Also The First Responders Golf Tournament that is going to be on October 1^st. If anyone needs any more information on joining or helping contact Jeff Wendling or Jeff Harris. Also the Veterans Breakfast on November 7^th. If anyone wants to come out and help us serve and thank our Veterans please contact Donna Peterson.

Robin also talked passionately about what we can do to help our community through Rotary. Besides the many committees that people can join Rotary is always looking to starting new committees. The new member group will be coming up with a new project and she has also offered for Satellite to come up with another project. Kristy is also working on starting a Rotaract program that will be $25 a quarter and will be for ages 22-32. There were also two Paul Harris awards given out to Erin Wofford and Tricia Byrom.

 Dr Mark Foust is a dedicated superintendent. The goals the board has set are all about the children. The kids are taught skills for 20th century living.  Also financial literacy.

more can be found in this link http://kisdcfac.net/

 
 The Kerrville ISD Board of Trustees has named Dr. Mark Foust Kerrville ISD Superintendent of Schools.  Dr. Foust will fill the role vacated by Dr. Dan Troxell who became the superintendent of Leander ISD after 14 years of service in Kerrville.

Dr. Foust previously served on the Executive Leadership Team in Fort Bend ISD as Chief of Schools where he reported directly to the Superintendent. As Chief of Schools, he was responsible for the direction and supervision of the efficient operational and academic management of schools and instructional programming for over 74,000 students. He dedicated the last 21 years of his career to Fort Bend ISD where he began as an English teacher and coach. He was then promoted to assistant principal after seven years in the classroom.  Foust also served as principal of Dulles High School for six years until his appointment as Assistant Superintendent in 2013, and Chief of Schools in 2016.

"I am blessed to be in Kerrville ISD and I look forward to starting to engage with our students, staff, parents and community in January,” Foust said. “Establishing relationships and gaining a deeper understanding of our district's strengths and opportunities are my top priorities in my first 90 days as superintendent."

 Dr. Foust received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Texas A&M University and a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston-Victoria.  He earned his Doctor of Education from the University of Houston in 2014. 

Dr. Foust began as KISD Superintendent of Schools on January 2, 2017.

 Mark was ask a question at the end of answer session. Someone ask when he was going to join Rotary? His answer was when the School Bond was passed.

This week we have a great program.  Senator Dawn Buckingham will provide a legislative update.  I will also have committee lists available for sign up for the new Rotary year.  I look forward to seeing you all at the Inn of the Hills!  

Also, Please try and view this video prior to today's meeting (7/18/2018)

https://youtu.be/Mmbv4K1z8ts

At the meeting, Robin will ask a question about the video.  There will be a prize for the member who can answer the question!

Hope to see everyone there today!

About Jane Ragsdale

Jane Ragsdale (Mrs. Dick Howell) is the director of Heart O’ the Hills. She was a Heart camper and counselor, and served as program director from 1978-87. She has been one of the owners since 1976, and director since 1988.

a link to find out more about the Camp.

https://heartothehillscamp.wordpress.com/author/janeragsdale/

• Table: set for one, is small, symbolizing the frailty of one isolated prisoner. The table is usually set close to, or within sight of, the entrance to the dining room. For large events of the Missing Man Table is set for six places: members of the five armed services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) and a sixth place setting reminiscent of the civilians who died during service alongside the armed forces or missing during armed conflict.^[9] Table is round to represent everlasting concern on the part of the survivors for their missing loved ones.^[10]
• Tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms.^[11]
• Single red rose in the vase, signifies the blood that many have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our beloved United States of America. This rose also reminds us of the family and friends of our missing comrades who keep the faith, while awaiting their return.^[12]
• The red ribbon (yellow ribbon for Air Force ceremonies) represents the love of our country, which inspired them to answer the nation’s call.^[13]
• Slice of lemon on the bread plate: represents the bitter fate of the missing.^[14]
• Salt sprinkled on the bread plate: symbolic of the countless fallen tears of families as they wait.^[14]
• Inverted glass: represents the fact that the missing and fallen cannot partake.
• The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.^[15] (The Bible has been removed from several displays at federal facilities due to pressure from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation)^[16]
• Lit candle: reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation.
• Empty chair: the missing and fallen aren't present.^[17]