Illustrations of yellow stars with red text on them on a red background with yellow text at the bottom

The March of Dimes Foundation hosts an annual walkathon event with over 1000 communities participating across the United States. March of Dimes was founded by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which worked to combat and helped to fund the cure for polio. The mission grew after the discovery of the polio vaccine to include work on preventing birth defects and infant mortality as well as the funding of research to prevent premature births. March of Dimes is a leader in the fight for the health of all moms and babies to survive and thrive—working to help every baby get the best possible start they can.

The first March of Dimes walkathon took place in 1970 and was the first charitable walking event to take place in the country. The 1976 walkathon theme was a “spirit walk” which encouraged participants to “walk with sprit.”

Red text around a cross symbol on a white background

The E L placed along with the phrase "look up lift up" are signatures of the Methodist Epworth League. The Epworth League was founded in 1889 as a Methodist youth association. The organization was the result of a merger between several smaller organizations within the church. The EL focused on six main areas, Spiritual Life, Social Work, Literary Work, Correspondence, Mercy and Help, and Finance, with local chapters given the freedom to offer more. The EL existed in North America (Northern and Southern Methodist churches) and Canada. The original Epworth League lasted until 1939. After denominational mergers, the name changed to the Methodist Youth Fellowship.

Okoboji is a city in Iowa that lies along the West Okoboji Lake. It is considered one of Iowa's premiere vacation destinations. In the early 1900s through 1960s, Okoboji was favored as a resort town where people would come to spend the summer at inns and lodges.

Black and white text on a pink background

The Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was a political rally held in October of 1987 as a follow-up to the 1979 March on Washington. The Pink Triangle, once a Nazi symbol of homosexuality, had been rebranded as a symbol for gay pride and was used on a variety of paraphernalia, including buttons.

Some 200,000 participants turned out for the march, more than double that of the one in 1979. Participants were protesting a number of laws they felt discriminated against homosexuals and were calling for an increase in Federal funds to adequately address the AIDS epidemic. They also sought to amend the Civil Rights Act to include protection against discrimination based on a person’s “affectional and sexual orientation.” A number of public figures, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Dan Bradley, a former White House aide, spoke at the march, which was endorsed by more than one thousand elected officials. Similar marches were held in 1993, 2000, and 2009.

White text on an outer red edge around an illustration of Jerry Lewis' head over the world with a red roller skate.

In 1966, comedian Jerry Lewis began the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon in Las Vegas. The telethon lasted twenty four hours and involved performances by a number of celebrities. Donations to the telethon were received from organizations across the country, including the Roller Skating Rink Operators of America. The RSROA was one of the largest contributors, raising funds through skate-a-thons held at local skating rinks. The donations received helped fund research and patient care programs that helped pay for medical equipment and orthopedic devices for muscular dystrophy sufferers.

Jerry Lewis parted ways with the MDA in 2010. By that time the show had become a two hour televised event. The final telethon was hosted in 2014, after having raised over $2 billion over its nearly fifty year run.

Blue, red and black text on a white background with an illustration of the Obama icon and the presidential seal

Barack Obama was the 44^th President of the United States and he served two terms in office from January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017. As the first African American elected to be President of the U.S., his first inauguration was a historic event attended by former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Although there is no official count, the inauguration is said to have been attended by approximately 1.1 - 1.8 million people who packed the National Mall from the West Front of the Capitol to past the Washington Monument. Metro set new record for highest ridership day of all time on that day with 1,120,000 rail trips, 423,000 bus trips and 1,721 MetroAccess trips for a total of 1,544,721 trips by attendees of the inauguration.

Black text on a red-orange background

Founded in 1893 as a loose alliance of Protestant foreign mission agencies in North America, the Foreign Missions Conference joined the National Council of the Churches of Christ in 1950. Missionary activity increased after World War II, as multiple regions faced major upheavals. Post-world war missionaries often focused on education and health issues in addition to their religious calling.

Yellow text on an outer black edge with grey and yellow stars with a yellow innter circle with a grey star and black silhouette of a bird, turtle, dolphin and giraffe.

The Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The zoo opened in 1934 and currently cares for over 450 species of animals. Animal Adoption is a program where people can sponsor an animal through a monetary gift. The animal would remain at the zoo and be cared for by zookeepers and staff in their habitats. When an animal is adopted and the person has gifted a specific amount of money towards the upkeep of that animal, the person becomes an animal parent. Money not only goes towards upkeep, but also towards research and conservation of the species.

Blue and red text with an illustration of a smile on a white background

Brookfield Zoo, or Chicago Zoological Park, is located in a suburb of Chicago, IL. It originally opened in 1934 and was highly regarded for using moats instead of fences to separate the animals from human traffic. In 1982, the zoo began opening the then-largest indoor rainforest exhibit Tropic World. The exhibit would eventually encompass three continents, but only Africa was opened in 1982 featuring the gorilla enclosure with Samson, Alpha, and Babs.

Red text around an illustration of a pink rose on a white background

The Battle Ground Rose Float was designed in 1955 by the Battle Ground High School marching band for Portland, Oregon’s Grand Floral Parade, which is held every year in June. Local residents who were part of the Battle Ground Rose Float boosters would encourage people to donate time and funds to the creation of the float each year.

The Battle Ground Rose Float is constructed and designed by volunteers, and every year a different theme is used. In 1960, that theme was “Honolulu,” and the Battle Ground marching band took first place in the “Cities outside of Oregon under 5000” category. After the Grand Floral Parade is over, the Rose Float is used in the Harvest Days Parade in July in Battle Ground before being broken down. Once the float is deconstructed, its parts are moved to the Battle Ground Rose Float Museum. 

Source:
History. (n.d.) Battle Ground Rose Float. Retrieved from http://battlegroundrosefloat.com/history/

Black text around an illustration of a pink rose on a white background

The Battle Ground Rose Float was designed in 1955 by the Battle Ground High School marching band for Portland, Oregon’s Grand Floral Parade, which is held every year in June. Local residents who were part of the Battle Ground Rose Float boosters would encourage people to donate time and funds to the creation of the float each year. 

The Battle Ground Rose Float is constructed and designed by volunteers, and every year a different theme is used. In 1959, that theme was “Lewis & Clark Expedition,” and the Battle Ground marching band took first place in the “Cities outside of Oregon under 5000” category. After the Grand Floral Parade is over, the Rose Float is used in the Harvest Days Parade in July in Battle Ground before being broken down. Once the float is deconstructed, its parts are moved to the Battle Ground Rose Float Museum.