Colorado Girl Scouts are turning old flags into inspirational gifts for US troops, fallen heroes

Old American flags no longer fit to fly are being turned into inspirational gifts by a Colorado Girl Scouts troop, KCNC-TV reported.

“We’re working on bagging and also cutting the stars out to send to fallen heroes and also to hand out around the community to first responders,” said Isabella Lucero, a member of Girl Scouts Troop 3979.

The girls work on the stars throughout the year, about once or twice a month, the TV station reported. They're also keeping busy with the project this summer.

How did this start?

Isabella and her mother, Carol Lucero, got the idea two years ago when they realized that a seemingly small act of kindness can mean a lot to people in uniform who are facing hard times.

“Knowing what those families go through and the pain that departments go through when a hero is killed in the line of duty… you know this is really the least that we can do,” Carol Lucero said.

“We process them with a little note that says, ‘I am part of our American flag. I can no longer fly. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten,’ ” she added.

The Girl Scouts have send about 30,000 stars to agencies and families across the nation, the TV station reported. Occasionally, they receive letters back from the family of a fallen officer, and that makes the project worthwhile for the girls.

“Those are hard, but then it’s encouraging too that we are doing good work and we need to keep it up,” Carol Lucero told KCNC.

The Girl Scouts plan to keep sending out the stars as long as there’s a need, they told the TV station.

Where do they get the flags?

Adams County collects American flags that are considered no longer suitable for flying. In turn, the weathered flags are handed over to the Girl Scouts troop.

After the stars are cut out, the Girl Scouts dispose of the rest of the flag as outlined in U.S. flag code, according to the report.