Chairman’s Corner
Merry Christmas to all!
The Christmas season is very special for everyone who is either a child or has a child-like heart! We know many of our volunteers and Veterans enjoy the feeling of child-like wonder this time of year, whether it is from the glow of Christmas lights, the smells and tastes of special foods or the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. All of us at Indy Honor Flight would like to wish all of our families, friends and Veterans a very happy Christmas and a blessed New Year. ‘Tis the season to enjoy so many things our country has to offer; remember to thank the Veterans who fought to insure our freedom to give thanks and celebrate as you choose!
As we look forward to the 2018 Honor Flights we have many things to be happy about and a few challenges to deal with. We just signed the contract for our next two flights; April 28 and May 26th will be our 26th and 27th Honor Flights! Please mark these dates on your calendar and be ready to help honor our next planeloads of Veterans!
On the happy side, we have a waiting list of over 800 Veterans who are anxious to enjoy our trip of honor and thanks! This is a great thing and we are honored to have all of these heroes wanting to travel with us.
We are, of course, still actively looking for our oldest veterans, those from WWII and Korea whose time to travel may be drawing short. If you or anyone you come into contact with these men and women please encourage them to get us a Veteran application as soon as possible. The application is available on our website, or we will be happy to mail one to any Veteran who would like to submit one. We will begin our process for the April flight in early February and we do not want to miss a single one of our most senior Veterans. Some of these folks are hesitant to commit to the trip, if you know one who might be concerned, please contact us and we will be happy to meet with them and explain everything in person.
On the challenge side, we had a substantial increase in cost for our aircraft in 2018. Cost increases are a part of life; we all deal with them everyday, but this hits donation-based organizations like us pretty hard. If you are interested in making a donation before the end of the year for 2017 tax purposes, we would greatly appreciate your funds. Rest assured the money will go directly to flying our heroes; no one in our organization gets paid a dime!
We have been blessed with terrific generosity for the over five years our hub has been in operation. Thank you to all of the businesses and individuals who have supported us so faithfully. Without your help we cannot honor our heroes, these trips can mean the world to our Veterans.
We received a note from a family member of a WWII Veteran not long ago that says an awful lot about what a single day of honor and thanks can do:
“I wanted to let you know that Dad passed away this week. Please do not be sad, the Honor Flight experience made his last two years incredible! When we first talked to Dad about going he refused. He was alone in his room most of the time, he did not involve himself in the activities with the home, and he was basically sitting around waiting to die. After some talks with the Bus Captain and encouragement from our family, he finally said he would go.
Boy, what a difference! After the trip he came back a new man. He never met a stranger, he spoke about the trip to anyone who would listen and actively sought out other Veterans to encourage them to submit an application. He started going on the activity bus with other seniors and really started to live again! Please accept my family’s thanks for what you did for our Dad. It was hard to believe the trip can mean so much, but we saw it first hand! Blessings to your group from a grateful family.”
Nothing I can add to that, except none of this happens without your help; thank you!
Take the time to enjoy your time with family and friends, rest up, because we need to “see you on the curb” in 2018!
In service,
Dale True
Chairman, Indy Honor Flight
Thank you!
We just wanted to send out a huge heartfelt THANK YOU to our Groundcrew aka Greenshirts! Everything we do for our Veterans would not be possible without our loyal and devoted Groundcrew! From the curb to the gym and back again you all have shown up, with smiles and hugs and gratitude for our Veterans. We cannot thank you enough for all that you do! May you all have a Merry Christams and a Happy New Year! See you on the curb in 2018!
Kelly and Maria
DID YOU KNOW?
Indy Honor Flight has begun the process of applying for a license plate from the Indiana BMV to benefit our organization. The process requires us to obtain 500 signatures from motorists who would purchase the plates when they become available. We submit the necessary paperwork in April 2018. The plates would then be available beginning in 2019. Indy Honor Flight would receive $25 from EVERY plate that is purchased! Since you have to buy plates anyway, why not support Indy Honor Flight while you’re at it?
If you, your family, your co-workers, etc. would like to sign the petition, it’s attached below, along with a rough draft of what the plate may look like when it’s issued. The petition can be returned to us at:
Indy Honor Flight
PO Box 10
Plainfield IN 46168
Click here to download the petition:
Petition for IHF Plate
Let’s Eat!
We offer a free meal to our Veterans that have flown with us. We have breakfast, lunch or meal on all sides of town once a month. Check out our calendar for dates, times and locations. Spouses and Guardians are welcome too!
Year-end Donation Time!
Just a reminder that we are 100% donation funded. If you are looking for a good cause to make a year end donation to please consider Indy Honor Flight. You can donate through our website at Indy Honor Flight click on DONATE.
SAVE THE DATES!
Friday April 27th – Meet/Greet Plainfield High School
Saturday April 28th – Flight #26 Plainfield High School
Friday May 25th – Meet/Greet TBD
Saturday May 26th – Flight/Homecoming TBD