BROOKINGS – Ray’s Corner believes in military veterans and has been raising money for them for more than a quarter century.

“I think we have the best customers ever to support this stuff,” said Lisa Steenson, manager at Ray’s Corner. Whenever they have a fundraiser, the customers come through.

Ray’s most recent fundraiser has helped buy new flags to display in the downtown area.

Since the early 1990s, Ray’s has been tacking up money on the wall behind the bar. A lot of the bills have writing on them; some have been colored in.

“There were bills on the wall when I started here,” said Steenson, who’s been there 26 years.

“It started from (soldiers coming back from) Desert Storm,” she said. “We just started putting up money.”

Once a year, in November, the bills are taken down and donated to the Disabled American Veterans transportation fund.

“We work really close with Rolling Thunder Chapter 2. They raise money and run that transportation fund,” Steenson said.

On average, Ray’s raises a couple grand annually off the wall for the DAV.

Mixed in amongst the bills now are a couple of posters, which are another money-maker.

“We needed new flags on Main Street. The old flags had run their course, and we wanted to make sure the flags got up for designated days and we wanted them to shine,” Steenson said.

Ray’s has purchased 44 American flags, special non-furling flag poles and hardware to hang the flags, as well as a cart to haul the flags. Rolling Thunder bought 26 POW/MIA flags.

They received the flags before Labor Day, but the poles came in later.

The flags are raised for special days like Patriot Day on Sept. 11 and POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 15. In total, the flags will be put up about 10 times a year, Steenson figures. They run from Sixth Street to the Old Amory in the downtown area and down Fourth Street, as well.

The two posters have two rows of numbers, one horizontal and one vertical, and squares in the middle. People buy a square for $5 and put their name on it to claim it.

One poster is for a Captain Morgan cooler. Once the board was full, Steenson had customers draw from a deck of cards for a number in the top row, then a second number for the vertical row, and matched the numbers like a Bingo board to find out who had bought that square.

“We didn’t even know who Brandon Potter was, but then it was kind of cool when he came in to pick it up … he’s military,” Steenson said.

The second poster is for a Coors Light Mountain Fridge.

“We have six squares left (to sell), and then we’ll draw the numbers on this one,” Steenson said. Winners do not need to be present.

The bar raises $1,500 per poster.

“Ray’s kicks in a portion, because it’s all ending up more (expensive) than that,” Steenson said.

It’s a good thing they got a little help.

“Lowe’s gave me half price on all the flags, which was amazing. (The manager) said, ‘That is something I would love to be involved with,’” she said.

Ray’s Corner employees and friends put up the flags.

“We try to get people to help. We put a shout-out on Facebook, usually,” Steenson said.

The more, the merrier, as far as she’s concerned.

“We would love people to volunteer. If you want to get involved with some patriotism, come on down,” Steenson said.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.