SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston-based company launches initiative to donate flags to schools ahead of 250th anniversary
NORTH CHARLESTON — As communities across the country prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, a local company is set to donate 10,000 flags to classrooms nationwide.
Allegiance Flag Supply, headquartered in North Charleston, produces hand-sewn American flags using locally sourced materials.
The company announced the Flags for Every Classroom initiative, which aims to bring U.S.-made flags to schools, give students a tangible connection to the country’s semiquincentennial and support teachers with a hands-on tool to teach civics and the nation’s history.
“The thought was really simple,” said Katie Lyon, the company’s co-founder. “If we’re celebrating 250 years as a country, every classroom should have access to a beautiful, well-made American flag. Because we make our flags in the U.S., donating them directly to classrooms felt like a natural way for us to contribute.”
The company was created in 2018 after co-founders Katie and Wes Lyon tried to find a U.S. flag for their new home and grew tired of buying foreign-made versions that would only last for a few months before falling apart. The Lyons started Allegiance Flag Supply in their garage with their friend Max Berry.
The business has grown exponentially since it was first created, undergoing seven site expansions. In 2024, it expanded its manufacturing and distribution operations to a 24,000 square foot site in North Charleston — twice the size of its former plant.
Tripp Wood, chief operating officer, said the company decided to launch the initiative to place as many U.S.-made flags in classrooms as possible. He added that 10,000 flags was a practical number based on their production capacity. On average, the company produces 1,200 flags per day.
Wood said he hopes that the flags will prompt discussions about U.S. history, locally made products, and supply chain issues.
Classroom teachers at K-12 public, private and charter schools all are eligible to receive a flag at no cost while supplies last, Wood said.
The initiative resonated with Grace Baxter, a first-grade teacher at Angel Oak Primary School on Johns Island. Baxter, who grew up in a military household, said the flag was a daily fixture in her childhood home, a symbol of the country’s civic history she wants her students to encounter.
Baxter said it’s important to have a flag in the classroom because it’s a helpful tool when teaching students lessons about U.S. history, civics and what the 50 stars and 13 stripes represent.
Alejandra Boscan hems American flags on the assembly line in front of the backdrop of a much larger flag at Allegiance Flag Supply, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in North Charleston.
“Symbols — not just the flag, but all kinds of symbols — play a huge role in education; visual learning is very important for young students,” Baxter said.
Teachers interested in receiving a flag must register on ID.me, an online identity verification website used by government agencies and private businesses to confirm eligibility for special discounts for groups like veterans, medical providers and first responders, among others.
Lyons said the company’s initial commitment is to donate 10,000 flags before the end of the year, but she sees the initiative as the start of something bigger.
“Programs like this create opportunities to connect with educators and communities in ways that go beyond a single moment,” she said. “Our hope is that A Flag for Every Classroom becomes something that continues to grow and support classrooms for years to come.”
–postandcourier.com
