
From its humble beginnings of leasing a small number of flags (300) to homes in Stonebridge Ranch in 1993, the club leased more than 3,200 flags in 2022. Patriotism has boosted the program tremendously over the years to display the flag at homes and businesses in McKinney. "People want to show our colors by flying our flag" is often heard. The flag lease program also has spread to over fifty other Rotary clubs in the Dallas area and outside the state with the help of the Sunrise Rotary Club. Sunrise created a flag program manual as the flag lease program began to spread to other Rotary Clubs. The blueprint manual details how to start and run the program. (purchase at https://tinyurl.com/4f2pu6xs) In addition, Sunrise club members Steve Mitas and Tim Kocsis developed a software program that manages the flag lease program as a business and a software program for defining the flag routes of the flag customers for delivery and retrieval. (purchase at info@mckinneysunriserotary.org) Sunrise has sold the manual and software packages to over thirty other Rotary Clubs.

In the past thirty years, the 'flag pole' leaders have been Col. Paul Yeager (deceased) and Fred Bahrenburg (deceased), the founders, and then club members Sandi Froese, Chuck Koehler, Steve Mitas, and Jeff Caserotti. These leaders have continued to develop a "turn-key" fundraising experience that has become the principal source of the club's project (s) funding. This involvement in raising funds to provide humanitarian services throughout our community of McKinney and our world fits our Rotary motto – "Service Above Self" for our club members and customers.
Several years ago, the McKinney Rotary Club began its flag lease program under the guidance of Sunrise. Now, the two clubs split the city and have spread nearly 5,000 flags throughout McKinney on the six flag holidays.
As the number of leased flags increased each year, the Sunrise club realized it could not handle the flag distribution and retrieving activity alone. So, they enlisted the assistance of several McKinney Boy Scout troops and a family representing the McKinney Area Home School Association to deliver and retrieve the flags for each six-flag holiday.

Furthermore, recognized at the Partner Appreciation club breakfast meeting was Deputy
Ella Even from the Sheriff's Office – Collin County Texas, SCORE group, who assisted in assembling new flags and cleaned and repaired current flags during the flag season. Also, Bryan Cyranowicz, the Flag Program Administrator (flags@mckinneysunriserotary.org), administers and manages the club's flag lease program during the flag season for the club.





Furthermore, an additional donation has been authorized: $4,000 for the school administrators to use as they wish for these needy students. Several of the outcomes from this contribution have been less absenteeism and tardiness. All of this has occurred because of the flag lease payments.
Those were just three of the more than twenty-plus other donations made in the past couple of years, i.e.,
- Local - Make A Wish Foundation, Santa's Rotary Helpers, A Four-Way Speech contest for McKinney ISD students, YMCA, Samaritan Inn, McKinney ISD – Junior ROTC, SCORE, McKinney Area Pantry, McKinney Crape Myrtle Trail, McKinney Boys & Girls Club, All-Abilities Playground, Scott Johnson Elementary School, Hugs Café, and International - Polio Plus Foundation, Group Study Exchange, Clean Water – Wells, Shelter Box, Wheelchair Foundation, India Education Project, India Dialysis Project, Guatemala Literacy Project, African Literacy Project, Nightingale Nursing School (Non-Profit Nursing School in Central Honduras), Heifer International,
The Sunrise Club is taking flag lease orders for 2023, which include Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Patriot Day, and Veterans Day. In addition, the flags are flown in recognition of 9-11 (Patriot Day) from Labor Day until September 12.
The annual cost is $55. However, subscribers who pay at mckinneysunriserotary.org with a credit card will receive a $5 discount if paid before April 30.

McKinney is a City of Flags, Built by the McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club.
Visit Us Anytime or Join Us. Breakfast is on Us!
Meeting Time and Location: 7:30 AM each Wednesday, E.J. Wills Gastropub,
1910 North Stonebridge Dr., McKinney, Tx 75071