HonorFest Events
2012 Honorfest events !
Feb 26 - HonorFest team to help host "Battle of the Badges"
with the Reading Royals!,
Thunder Outreach, Reading Royals
and The Leadership team
from "Honorfest" are working on a great family day event
called "Battle of the Badges"
that will be between the
Police and Fire depts before
the regular Royals game!
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2011 Completed!!!!
"Quick Recap of 2011"
We Prayed for No Rain and
God's Love to Shine!!!
and It ALL Happened!
We have so much info about this event !
Please read this page all the way to the bottom
and then click on the "Blog" link for the latest info!!
Saturday, Oct 1st, 2011 from 11am to 3pm
At First Energy Stadium in Reading, PA!
Was a Huge FREE Stadium size
Community Thank You
and Block Party Event to Bless all our
local Fire, Police,EMTs, Military,
First Responders and their Families !
READING — Law enforcement officers, firefighters, members of the military and other emergency responders were acknowledged for their sacrifice and service during HonorFest, a first of its kind event at First Energy Stadium Saturday.
“They lay their lives down,” said HonorFest volunteer Cindy Gallaher, of Skippack, referencing the emergency responders and military present at the event. “This is a way to honor them.”
The event was originally scheduled for the second weekend in September to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, however, it was postponed because of inclement weather.
Nonetheless, Gallaher said, it was important to remember the sacrifices made by those on 9/11 and those made by other emergency responders every day.
“We’re saying God Bless America, and we honor you for your service,” Gallaher added.
She explained that the event was organized by Mark Malizzi of Thunder Outreach. “Mark Malizzi had a passion to honor the first responders. It started as a vision and he said ‘What can we do to honor them, all first responders and military as well,’ and this is the event he wanted to put together.”
Malizzi’s wife, Lisa, said the goal of HonorFest was to “touch the first responders in a way they have touched us. They’re always there for us,” so the event is a way to give back.
The majority of people not in uniform at HonorFest were there with their families, and many of the children were fascinated to see the emergency vehicles and the emergency responders.
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, firefighters were among the favorite heroes of children at the event, with several children dressed in firefighting gear.
Among children dressed in costume was 5-year-old Hunter Meitzler, of Boyertown. He came to the event with his grandparents who are both volunteers with the Boyertown Salvation Army and run with the canteen.
Hunter’s grandmother, Brenda Meitzler, said Hunter’s father is a firefighter with Boyertown Friendship Hook and Ladder, and his uncle is a police officer in Lower Pottsgrove.
Given Hunter’s exposure to emergency responders and public servants, Brenda Meitzler said she thought he would enjoy HonorFest. She found that she enjoyed it, too.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “I think it’s something that everybody should come up and do.”
Meitzler said many local volunteers put in a lot of time and effort and events like HonorFest allow families to come together, and families of law enforcement, emergency responders and military “sometimes suffer” because of the sacrifice of service.
Organizers agreed that the goal of the event was to find a way to honor heroes and to repay the service they have given.
“They serve us,” said Gallaher, the HonorFest volunteer. HonorFest “is a way to serve them back.”
  
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