Charles City ceremony honoring veterans will be held Monday at Comet Gym

To the Press

Charles City Community School District students will continue their tradition of hosting a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday morning at Comet Gym inside Charles City Middle School.

The public is invited to attend the event, which begins at 10:15 a.m.

Keegan Birkicht, the unit director of Retrieving Freedom, will be will be the guest speaker.

There will be special seating provided for veterans on the floor. Students from grades 5-12 will be attending and sitting in the bleachers. Transportation is available for veterans by contacting Floyd County Veterans Affairs at 641-228-1850.

Retrieving Freedom Inc. is a non-profit organization, based in Waverly, which is dedicated to training service dogs to help people. The group’s primary focuses are training dogs to serve the needs of veterans and children with autism.

Birkicht is a Cedar Rapids native and Wartburg College graduate who volunteers with Retrieving Freedom and said she eventually fell in love with the possibility of changing the lives of others through the use of dogs.

She has fostered five dogs through the program and said she is amazed daily by the things dogs can do to help others.