Hello everyone, Thank you again for the part you all played in getting the commissioners to rescind their decision to lower the flag. I know people signed this petition for many different reasons and some have focused more on the treatment of the flag, but many have expressed support for LGBT community members and other marginalized members of our local society. With those in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to share a related cause some of you may be interested in supporting. This cause is completely independent of the petition you signed, I was just kindly asked to help spread the word, although many of you are likely already aware of it. Below is a description of that cause. An Salem High School (SHS) alum has set up a scholarship fund with two awards, one just for SHS and one statewide, available to all students who are working to make their community safer and more accepting of LGBT youth and those from other groups who have been historically discriminated against. This is about more than a flag or even scholarships. It’s about sending a message of love and acceptance to drown out hate. And most importantly, it’s about making life better for all kids, not just telling them that, someday, things will get better. If you can, please join in by pitching in a few dollars to help make this scholarship a reality. As little as $10 will go a long way in making sure this scholarship is around for years to come. To donate, visit tinyurl.com/CourageScholarship. You can also Like the page at Facebook.com/CourageScholarship and find the link to donate there. A fundraising event/celebration may be on the horizon for the Salem area in the near future. All information will be posted on the Facebook page. Thank you for considering taking this next step in making Dent County a more welcoming, inclusive place for everyone. Please don’t worry about getting frequent communications from this petition in the future. I plan for this to be the final communication through this medium. Thank you again for your support.