In lieu of Christmas Gifts this year Recognition Services has made a monetary donation to the Wounded Warrior Project on behalf of our dedicated customers.
“The Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) exists to honor and empower Wounded Warriors who incurred service-connected injures on or after September 11, 2001. On that date, America watched in horror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers.
The tragic events of Sept. 11 are often the reason warriors say they felt a sense of duty to volunteer for the military.” As stated on the Wounded Warrior Project website.
These individuals chose to defend our country, and that is why we honor them.
So this Christmas we are thanking You by supporting our great country’s men and women who guard our freedom and safety.
It is a rite of passage in my family to be given your first quilt from "Mom". "Mom" was actually my great-grandmother, but to all members of our family she was simply the matriarch "Mom". She hand made each member of our family a quilt as we grew up, and each and every one was unique. I always cherished mine, it was and still is one of the most unique gifts I have ever received.
Quilting was a great hobby for my great-grandmother and she was quite good at it. It kept her mind sharp and occupied as her husband was gone and fought in WWII, and it kept her busy on those sleepless nights when she worried about her two sons as they served their country (there is a history of service in both the military and law enforcement in my family). That history of service still lives on in the generation my cousins and I share, and I when I heard of her next quilting project (yup she's still stitching approaching the age of 101) I was glad to know this history would soon have a tangible recording.
Using the law enforcement patches and military patches our family has acquired over the years, the new quilt will be a 'living tapestry' of our service. Each unit patch woven into the fabric of this quilt will tell a story of service. I cannot wait to see this finished product, and to see how it will continue to grow over time as new custom patches will be added to it.
I work with patches every day, and while I may not understand the meaning or purpose for each custom embroidered patch we make, I know that for each of our customers the patch tells a story. That is what I am happy to be a part of. If you are looking for a story to be told through a custom patch, please contact us today or click the link above for a free quote.
Earlier this year the community of Boston lost one of their most beloved philanthropists with the passing of Myra Kraft after a long battle with cancer. Myra will be greatly missed largely due to the fact she was so active in not only in the Boston community, but also in philanthropic missions worldwide. I encourage you to check out the details of her involvement with the United Way, Boys and Girls Club, and so many other organizations here.
Myra was also the wife of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, where she was also very active in the team's charitable efforts. Her passing had such an impact on the team and the NFL community that this season all Patriots players are wearing an embroidered patch on their uniforms in her honor. However at a recent home game in September the Patriots distributed 70,000 MHK custom lapel pins so that fans also could wear a memento of her legacy. All remaining pins are now on sale with the proceeds being donated to the charities she cherished most in her honor. To learn more about these recognition lapel pins please visit this link for more on the story.
This story was a great reminder to me that small tokens such as a pin can carry so much meaning in a simplistic design. We all have tokens and mementos in our personal lives that connect us to a particular event or person that we cherish and want to remember and I think this story proves that.
When we are asked to create pieces of such importance we take a certain level of pride and humility with the request. It is our pleasure to help the remembrance of loved ones, or even just a solemn event. If you are ever in need of such a token, we are only a click away.
Everyday we produce custom coins, custom lapel pins, and custom embroidered patches, each with their own purpose and story. When our customers tell us their story behind the products they order we know we are helping by creating more than an 'emblem'. Any time we are able to help our customers and contribute to their stories we are more than happy to do so.
Recently a firefighter in Atlanta whom we've produced custom badges for in the past asked me to pass along his story and ask for our support. He is working diligently with the Pepsi Refresh program with a goal to open Camp Mai Soli for fostered and adopted children. I encourage you to read up on his project here and vote for his cause. As the saying goes, think of the children.
We want to do more for all of our customers than just create emblems, we want to help create stories of success. We are only as successful as our customers and their endeavors. If you are currently working on a project for yourself or your community and you need support and visibility, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can use these blogs as a podium for your message. These blogs are visited hundreds of times each week, let us help you spread your message.
During the summer months we are hard at work creating custom biker pins and embroidered patches for clubs doing various events, and whenever possible we like to give credit to the great causes we have the pleasure of being involved with. We recently created a lapel pin for the American Firefighters Motorcycle Club based out of Chicago and I feel they have a story and event lined up that is definitely worth sharing. This September will mark the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. To commemorate this event and to honor the heroes and loved ones lost that day, the American Firefighters M/C will be embarking on a ride from Chicago to New York. The ride will start on September 6th, with stops in Shanksville, Gettysburg, DC, and finally New York. To learn more about this ride and the travel accommodations being made, please click here to learn more about the American Firefighters M/C 9/11 Ride.
Ahh, the mere mention of these words is sure to stir up a bit of nostalgia for some, and for others the Star Wars universe is a daily part of life. This iconic franchise has set impressive box office records worldwide, and the icons used throughout the films have easily become some of the most recognized logos in our culture. With this success has come the rise and reign of some of the most devout fans anyone could ask for.
Around the world these fans will unite and form their own Legion or Garrison, depending on the call from the Light or Dark side of course. These fans will take their support to the next level by creating their own costumes and replicas from the movies and take their hobby to the streets. You see these guys around comic shops, in movie theaters, and nearly all comic/gaming conventions you can think of. But it's not all just for show, these guys do great charity work in the name of fandom, yes even the 'bad guys' too. However none of these costumes are complete without a set of unit patches.
Often throughout the year we are contacted by local garrisons and legion posts to help in designing and manufacturing custom embroidered patches for use on costumes, or even for fundraising sales. It just goes to show that you don't have to be a police officer, or a soldier to don a great embroidered patch.
If you are part of a garrison or legion post looking to do a custom unit patch please don't hesitate to contact us by clicking the quote request button at the top of this page.
With the Special Olympics World Games almost upon us we have had the great opportunity to create many custom lapel pins, custom embroidered patches, and custom challenge coins that have been used to raise awareness and funds for this great organization. Here at Recognition Services we just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to those of you we have had the pleasure of working with for these events. More importantly we want to say thank you to all the supporters and sponsors of Special Olympics events around the world.
Each year people from all walks of life and all corners of society will come together in support of the Special Olympics games and participants. We have seen local Lions Club Members get involved, law enforcement officials take pride in a traditional torch run, and even bikers organizing fundraiser rides for Special Olympics.
If you are not already involved with this great organization I encourage you to click on this link to see how you can get involved with a program in your area. It is always a pleasure working with the members of these organizations and their supporters, their spirit of service and humbleness is truly inspiring.
Every time we answer the phone here at Recognition Services we don't really know what we will be getting in to, we just know that we are contacted to create the highest quality custom lapel pin, challenge coin, or embroidered patch a person can ask for. So when the phone rang and I answered Mr. Greg Hess's call yesterday I thought it would be business as usual, but little did I know that Greg was going to open up an amazing opportunity for us. He introduced himself as a local firefighter with the Indianapolis Fire Department, and he wanted to swing by our office to discuss making a custom challenge coin. A few hours later he was in our lobby and introduced himself as the founder of Project 911 Indianapolis.
Through his amazing efforts the city of Indianapolis will have a chance to create a memorial using actual pieces of the WTC towers downtown. I encourage you to check out the site, especially if you are here in Indy, and support his effort any way you can. His story is amazing, and I truly enjoyed listening to him recount his time at Ground Zero that fateful day back in 2001. As we wrapped up our meeting regarding the custom coin and custom patch we will be designing for him he pulled out a little pouch containing a rusted and bent piece of metal and placed it in my hands. Sitting there holding a piece of our nation's history was sobering and humbling to say the least. What he has done with Project 911 Indianapolis is truly amazing, and we are truly grateful to have the opportunity to work on this project. If you are part of a group that is planning on creating a memorial piece for the 10 year anniversary of Sept. 11, we would be honored to help you as well. Please contact us today.
For the past few years Recognition Services has been supplying Indian Motorcycle with custom made lapel pins, embroidered motorcycle patches, and even cosmetic parts for their bikes. As a licensed vendor we recently found out that Indian Motorcycle was acquired by Polaris, you can read more about this acquisition here. We just wanted to take a moment to let you know that for Indian Motorcycle and their licensees it is business as usual. If you are wanting to make a Indian Motorcycle custom pin or embroidered patch then please do not hesitate to contact us and we would be happy to design a great piece for your group.
On another note as the weather changes, the trees begin to bloom, and the wind gets warmer it means that riding season is officially upon us. Make sure when you go out to stay safe and wear your gear. To everyone else not on a motorcycle, like the saying goes "Be aware, Motorcycles are Everywhere!". Every year we are asked to do fallen biker patches and our hearts go out to the families affected. Stay safe and enjoy the ride!
Through the course of dealing with our customers we get to hear great stories on why a particular piece means so much to them. It is easy to say that each lapel pin and each embroidered patch tells a story. I'd like to take a minute to share one of these stories.
Lt. Kevin Houghton, a dedicated officer from the Hoboken PD in New Jersey, has been a customer of ours for a couple of years now. When he contacted us a few weeks ago to make the attached recognition lapel pin we were thrilled for the opportunity. Through Kevin's service he has been honored with the title of Irish Police Officer of the Year, and will be recognized tomorrow (3/5/2011) at the 25th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hoboken. You can learn more about the event and Kevin in this link. You'll notice Kevin is the one proudly wearing green!
Thanks again for your service Kevin, and enjoy your day tomorrow!
Cody Alicea was just a normal 13 year old boy who was proud of his country and the veterans, including his grandfather, who served for his freedom. That is why he was proud to display an American flag on his bike as he rode back and forth to school. A very commendable action for a young man to take, and an example to us all for how to display what we are proud of and what we support.
Unfortunately the school system of Denair thought it unsafe for the flag to be on Cody's bike, and therefore made him remove it from his bike. This action not only upset Cody and his family, but the local chapter of American Legion Riders and veterans from all around the nation. We have had the privilege of creating many custom coins, biker pins, and embroidered patches for the American Legion Riders of the years, so it was great to see our product in the national spotlight in the below news segment. The American Legion Riders are a fantastic group of men and women and I was not surprised at all at their outreach and support to Cody and his family. We are proud to support the American Legion Riders and commend the work they do.
A few days ago I finished up our annual report for Lions Club International regarding all the custom lions club pins that we produced in 2010. The final results of this report shocked Craig and I to say the least. We are so busy throughout the year helping each individual Lions Club or District Governor that we do not often get to stop and step back to see the overall picture of our work.
Now that report is complete I am very thrilled and grateful to tell you that we produced over 140,000 custom made Lions Club pins, Lions Club coins, and Lions Club patches in 2010! Thank you again for your continued support by allowing us these opportunities for production and proving that we are the number one source for Lions Club pins!
Recently I was contacted by a customer of ours with the Holts Summit Police Department in Missouri. Carl has ordered several several custom coins and custom badges from us in the past, so when he asked for our help in promoting a contest he was in I was thrilled at the opportunity.
Carl is working with two programs that are being supported by the Pepsi Refresh campaign, and has the opportunity to win $250,000 in grant money to help get these programs off the ground. They are great programs aimed at keeping the streets safe through a stellar community outreach program from the Holts Summit Police Officers Association. The other program is a great idea to keep the youth of Holts Summit active and off the streets by opening a fantastic new recreation center.
Please check out the ideas here and here and cast your votes now.
Good Luck Carl! We cannot wait to produce more police challenge coins and embroidered patches for you in the future.
Just a friendly reminder to all those Indiana Lions Club members out there that the MD 25 midwinter conference is around the corner on January 8th at Lawrence Central High School. Don't forget to register so you can come see your fellow lions and show off your custom lions pins. Make sure to visit the We Belong booth for all the lions club coins, lions club patches, and lions club pins that we've created this past year! If you are in need of a lions fundraising idea make sure to stop by our booth so we can show you some new lions club emblem products that will help your club meet its 2011 goals.
I always love when we get the opportunity to deal with a new police or fire department in creating a custom coin, custom pin, or embroidered patch, it's exciting to help people bring their thoughts to form with a tangible token. However several times in the past few months I have had to field some pretty sobering phone calls from departments wanting to design a custom coin or lapel pin honoring a fallen officer or firefighter. I take these requests to heart each time knowing that we have the honor of creating a custom pin or challenge coin that will be cherished by these fallen heroes family and friends. With these requests coming in I wanted to take a minute to stop and say thank you to all the law enforcement, fire fighters, and EMS crews out there keeping the public safe each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with all these families and departments as they have lost their loved ones and friends recently.
Next time you see an officer or firefighter out, shake their hand, buy them lunch, or just say thanks and let them know you appreciate what they do.
Even in the cold summer months you can't keep a good rider down. We've had the pleasure of creating many custom pins and custom patches in the last couple of months, but there was one custom motorcycle pin we worked on recently that really stood out. The pin you see here was done for a charity motorcycle rally that was thought up by a high school student. CJ took it on as a senior project, that has now turned into an annual charity ride for child abuse awareness drawing over 150 riders each year, and we are thrilled to be a part of this by making custom lapel pins for his cause.
We are very honored to be a part of this project by making this custom pin for CJ, and we applaud this fine young man for his efforts.
With the year coming to an end we have heard lots of talk from our Lions Club customers regarding their end of year festivities. While it has been great making custom Lions Club pins, custom Lions coins, and Lions Club patches, it has been even better to be part of these projects that will recognize hard work and dedication the recipients have for Lionism.
If you know of a Lions Club International member who has done great things for the club and community then please leave a comment and give proper due to those members. We would love to see them get the recognition they deserve.
With the crisp change in the air, the leaves turning colors, talks of turkey feasts on the horizon and black friday door buster ads all over the TV, it can mean only one thing.... It's Mid-Winter Conference season for Lions Club members. Don't forget in the hustle and bustle of the holidays to order up a great looking custom lions club pin or lions club patch that would be a great memento for the members attending the Lions Club Midwinter this year. We have already produced several great lions club pins for conferences this year, and would be happy to create a lions pin for your club or district if we have not already done so.
And to all our Indiana Lions, looking forward to seeing you in January!
I was digging through some custom patches we had made earlier this year and I came across the patches you see here. We were contacted by a gentleman from the NATO Nomads that wanted to create a custom military patch for his group in recognition of their efforts in monitoring the volcanic eruption back in April. I really enjoyed working on this embroidered patch since we were able to use a new style of print production that enabled us to get great detail in the design. Even though the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull caused headaches for some, the men and women of the NATO Nomads found a way to remember the ordeal with a humorous custom embroidered patch.
We are very eager to see all of our Lion Club friends at the upcoming USA Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Milwaukee next week. Make sure to visit the We Belong booth to talk about your custom Lions pins, custom lions patches, and custom lions coins. Say hello to Craig, Orlando and Steve while at the We Belong booth, they will be very eager to meet you. Make sure to bring your art ideas as well since Orlando will be designing product in the booth. Also make sure to check out all the best of the best Lions pins in the Pin Trader area beginning on Wednesday Sept. 22nd. To learn more about the USA Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Milwaukee click here.
Around the world these fans will unite and form their own 
Lt. Kevin Houghton, a dedicated officer from the Hoboken PD in New Jersey, has been a customer of ours for a couple of years now. When he contacted us a few weeks ago to make the attached recognition lapel pin we were thrilled for the opportunity. Through Kevin's service he has been honored with the title of Irish Police Officer of the Year, and will be recognized tomorrow (3/5/2011) at the 25th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hoboken. You can learn more about the event and Kevin in 
A few days ago I finished up our annual report for Lions Club International regarding all the custom lions club pins that we produced in 2010. The final results of this report shocked Craig and I to say the least. We are so busy throughout the year helping each individual Lions Club or District Governor that we do not often get to stop and step back to see the overall picture of our work. 
Even in the cold summer months you can't keep a good rider down. We've had the pleasure of creating many custom pins and custom patches in the last couple of months, but there was one custom motorcycle pin we worked on recently that really stood out. The pin you see here was done for a charity motorcycle rally that was thought up by a high school student. CJ took it on as a senior project, that has now turned into an annual charity ride for child abuse awareness drawing over 150 riders each year, and we are thrilled to be a part of this by making custom lapel pins for his cause. 
I was digging through some custom patches we had made earlier this year and I came across the patches you see here. We were contacted by a gentleman from the NATO Nomads that wanted to create a custom military patch for his group in recognition of their efforts in monitoring the volcanic eruption back in April. I really enjoyed working on this embroidered patch since we were able to use a new style of print production that enabled us to get great detail in the design. Even though the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull caused headaches for some, the men and women of the NATO Nomads found a way to remember the ordeal with a humorous custom embroidered patch.
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