Parade Monday starts at 9 a.m. and DUKE Energy is supporting the

Hometown Heroes Banner program

By Chuck Gibson 

LOVELAND, OH (May 26. 2023) – The timing could not be better. As the City of Loveland prepares for its annual Memorial Day Parade honoring veterans this Monday, May 29th, Duke Energy announced their support for the Hometown Heroes Banner program in Loveland. 

In a press release issued earlier today, the City of Loveland announced the Duke Energy Foundation is supporting the City of Loveland’s Hometown Hero military banner program. This news comes just in time for the Memorial Day parade through the streets of Loveland and finishing with a ceremony at the Loveland Veteran’s Memorial Monday, May 29th. Grant funding for the Hometown Heroes Banners from Duke Energy Foundation means a reduced rate is now vailable for the banners. 

“We look forward to helping to shine a light on the great work of the City of Loveland and its Veterans Memorial Committee.” –  Chad Shaffer, Duke Energy.

It is the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial Committee that plans the Memorial Day program each year. Again, details for the parade and ceremony to be held this Monday, May 29th are as follows:

• A parade at 9 a.m. from Loveland Elementary School, 600 Loveland Madeira Road, to the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial.
• Immediately following the parade, a ceremony will be held at the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial, located on West Loveland Avenue at the corner of Riverside Drive.
• The ceremony will feature a speech from Sergeant Dave Corlett, a 31-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department and Army veteran who served in Iraq.

Sergeant Corlett is the founder of the Military Liaison Group within Cincinnati Police Department and an instructor with the Hamilton County Mental Health Crisis Teams. He has worked with Veterans Affairs and the local court system to improve relations between military veterans and law enforcement. His efforts have been recognized by the Department of Justice (DOJ), and he was the winner of the DOJ’s 2021 L. Anthony Sutin Award for Innovative Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships. Prior to joining the CPD in 1992, Sergeant Corlett served with the U.S. Army in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

Here are more details on Loveland’s Hometown Heroes Banner Program & support from Duke Energy Foundation: 

TEXT FROM PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY KRISTA ROSE, CITY OF LOVELAND:

Launched in March 2023, the banner tribute program recognizes residents who are serving or who have served in the United State Armed Forces. Each banner will honor a specific person and will include their photo and name, rank, branch of service, years of service, and any awards received. Banners will be displayed on utility poles along State Route 48 from Broadway Street to the Oak Street/SR 48 intersection.

Thanks to a $7,500 grant from Duke, funding is now available to provide need-based assistance to veterans and their families requesting a banner. Funding will help offset the banners’ printing, mounting hardware, and installation fees. Banners previously cost $300 to be produced but — with the grant funding — the city now can offer banners to families at $150.

“With this grant, the banners are now less cost-prohibitive, and we hope it encourages more families to sign up. We want to recognize our heroes!” –  Misty Clark, Assistant to the City Manager.

Clark hopes 25 banners can be produced by early fall.

To be eligible, the individual to be honored must currently reside or have resided in the City of Loveland corporation limits or within the Loveland City School District. If you would like to nominate yourself or a deserving service member, please visit https://www.lovelandoh.gov/494/Hometown-Hero-Military-Banner-Program to download the program application.

About the Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation is proud to power communities through philanthropy focused on vibrant economies; climate resiliency; and justice, equity and inclusion. More than $30 million in charitable grants each year are the driver behind community impact and improvements. For more information, please visit https://www.duke-energy.com/community/duke-energy-foundation.