July 2020 Newsletter


Chairman’s Corner

Dear all Indy Honor Flight Veterans, Friends and Donors-

Happy July-while yes, it has been pretty warm, we are not shoveling snow or chipping ice off the windshield! Every day we are looking for the best in what we are going through, some days you have to look a little harder than others. Personally, I love summer and enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. I hope you and your loved ones are able to spend some good time together this summer.

We have very good news for you-we have reserved aircraft for two spring flights!! Please save the dates: April 17 and May 22, 2021. We are thinking positively and preparing to host our heroes again for a day they will never forget! Please mark your calendars now, we will need all of our helpers to make this happen. We will host safety trainings for new volunteers and for those who want to “knock the rust off”, watch for the dates in late winter 2020.

Please Note: If you or a loved one was scheduled for one of our spring 2020 flights, your seat is still reserved, so make sure you are available for the new dates. We will be in contact with you well in advance, but we cannot take you if you are cruising the Rivera or relaxing on the beaches of Spain!

In the meantime, our Summer Cruise-in Car Shows are back in action, every Saturday evening (unless it storms) at the Lowe’s parking lot in Avon, IN. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Hales and the Avon Lowes for hosting this event yet another summer. A relaxing time visiting with great people, looking at some very cool cars and being outdoors. But a 50/50 ticket while you are there and support IHF! I little birdy told me there may even be some new very cool T-shirts for purchase soon as well! All proceeds benefit the IHF.

We had a good (but a little wet) time at the famous Connersville landmark Kunkel’s Drive-In. A good turn out, some super cars, tasty chow and a nice time helped us raise some needed cash for our operations. Many thanks to Cheryl and her crew for putting this together, the work was appreciated, and a good time was had by all who attended.

We have continued to be notified of our heroes passing and unfortunately have been unable to attend many of the services due to the virus and related issues. We are heartbroken when each one goes on, but we are so proud to have had the opportunity to meet, serve and love every single one. One thing you can take to the bank; Indy Honor Flight loves our Veterans! Every day our volunteers are speaking to past and future honorees and letting them know they are appreciated and remembered for the service they gave to our country.

We are still accepting applications from Veterans, Guardians and Volunteers-we are still here and are so ready to get back to flying. Watch our Face Book page for updates and keep smiling.

In the meantime, thank a Veteran today for the freedom you enjoy.

In service,
Dale True Chairman, Indy Honor Flight


Laughter is the best Medicine!

Jokes submitted by IHF Board Member/Bus Captain/Guardian/Ground Crew Jerry Vest. If you have a joke you want to share for the July newsletter please email to volunteer@indyhonorflight.org Three jokes will be randomly selected.


Let’s Eat! Share your favorite Recipe!

The monthly meals have been temporarily cancelled. We will let you know as soon as we can what the future will hold for the meals. Have no fear, we will continue these gatherings as soon as it is safe to do so for all involved. Until then we are hugging you from a distance!While we wait there is no reason we can’t still eat some good food, right? If you have a favorite recipe you want to share send them to volunteer@indyhonorflight.org and we will post them here in the newsletter. Please make sure they are short and simple so we have room to share them here.

We will have a theme each newsletter to keep it standardized.

This months theme will be dessert!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

While life seems to be on pause, it still keeps moving. Did you know when you shop Amazon for all your daily needs you can help us fly our heroes too? Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!smile.amazon.com


FREE YOGA CLASS FOR VETERANS!

Dear Veterans,We have an amazing opportunity for you! Please join IHF Volunteer Kathy Sheek for a FREE Yoga class. Don’t let the word YOGA scare you, this is a gentle flow class. Anyone can do it!

Benefits

  • Breathing practices for stress reduction, PTSD, depression & anxiety
  • Gentle movement of joints and spine (seated and standing poses)
  • Improved flexibility, mobility, strength, balance & posture
  • Relaxation to end each class

Chair yoga is recommended for veterans, seniors, those recovering from illness or injury and those with limited mobility.

The class is a ZOOM class so you will not need to leave your home. Bonus you may even get to interact with some of you friends you haven’t seen in a while! If you are interested please reach out to Kathy at the email below for more information, just click on her email address to send her an email.

We hope that you take advantage of this class so that when we can be together again, we can do so as a healthier, stronger group!

Contact Kathy Sheek at MKSHEEK@HOTMAIL.COM for more information


IHF Out and About in 2020

  • All Flights grounded for 2020
  • Avon Cruise In – Every Saturday thru the end of September!
  • All Monthly Meals Postponed

We aren’t going anywhere just taking all the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Links below.

June 2020 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Summer greetings to all IHF Veterans and friends!

This is a note I was really hoping to not have to write-the National Board for the Honor Flight Network has cancelled all remaining Honor Flights for 2020. While this is certainly disappointing for all, with the current uncertainty involving the spread of the Covid-19 virus thisis the correct decision to protect our group of high-risk Veterans. For those Veterans who were offered a seat on our 2020 flights: please be assured your seat will remain available on our next scheduled flight whenever you are available to go! We may be grounded, but we are still working to keep our operations as active as possible. Our local volunteers are working on some
ideas to host fundraisers and other activities to get us together as soon as safely as possible.

Along with the loss of the flights, we are not able to return to our monthly meals at this time for the same health concerns. We are watching the local rules and regulations closely and we hope to be able to host the meals later in the year. We will notify everyone of any changes both in the newsletter and on our Face Book page, Indy Honor Flight. Face Book is a quick, easy way to share information and is very cost-effective for us!

One event we have been able to return to is the weekly Avon Cruise-In, a local car show hosted by some terrific folks. For the 4 th year in a row this event is supporting our cause with donations. If you are out and about on any Saturday during the summer, stop in the Lowes parking lot 7893 E US 36, in Avon starting around 6:00PM. See some cool cars, visit with nice people, get out of the house for a bit. Please continue to protect yourselves with social distance and face coverings whenever you are out in public.

As we go into the warm and humid part of an Indiana summer, we hope you remain safe and healthy. Enjoy the farmer’s markets, the taste of fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, ice cream and the other terrific tastes of summer. Warm evenings, beautiful sunsets, a glass of iced tea; whatever your favorites of summer happen to be. Even with all the other concerns of 2020, we can still find joy and relaxation if we take the time to look for it.

Indy Honor Flight is still here working to honor our Hoosier heroes-we need all of our friends and supporters to do the same. We WILL return to our flights as soon as it is safe to do so.

In service,
Dale True, IHF Chairman


Laughter is the best Medicine!

“For two hours I watched two snails fight….they really SLUGGED it out”

Jokes submitted by IHF Board Member/Bus Captain/Guardian/Ground Crew Jerry Vest. If you have a joke you want to share for the July newsletter please email to volunteer@indyhonorflight.org Three jokes will be randomly selected.


Connersville Cruise In for IHF Saturday July 11th!

Cool cars, good food and car hops plus raising money for IHF! What more could you ask for? Come join us in Connersville at Kunkels Drive in on Saturday July 11th, 2020. The party starts at 5:30pm. You just might see some of your favorites delivering the food! Watch their facebook page for more info!

Click here to like their page on Facebook: Kunkels Drive In

Kunkels Drive In
2402 Park Rd
Connersville, IN 47331


Let’s Eat!

The monthly meals have been temporarily cancelled. We will let you know as soon as we can what the future will hold for the meals. Have no fear, we will continue these gatherings as soon as it is safe to do so for all involved. Until then we are hugging you from a distance!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

While life seems to be on pause, it still keeps moving. Did you know when you shop Amazon for all your daily needs you can help us fly our heroes too? Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!

smile.amazon.com


NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIANA DRIVERS LICENSE – REAL ID NEEDED TO FLY STARTING OCTOBER 2021

This has been pushed out to October 2021. Is your driver’s license Real ID compliant? If it doesn’t have a little gold star up in the corner, that’s a nope.

People in Indiana applying for a new driver’s license, learner’s permit or ID card are being encouraged to go ahead and upgrade to a Real ID-compliant version at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The cards will be required for everyone beginning in October 2020.

For those who have not yet made the switch but are looking to fly with us as a Guardian, Bus Captain or Medic or if you have a loved one or friend on our waiting list please encourage them to make the switch to the Indiana Real ID now. This is required to board an airplane starting October 2020. Below is a link to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that will provide more information on what documents are needed, etc.

Everything you need to know about Real ID


IHF Out and About in 2020

  • All Flights grounded for 2020
  • IHF RAIN Ride Cancelled
  • Avon Cruise In – Every Saturday thru the end of September!
  • Saturday July 11th Kunkels Drive IN Cruise In for IHF 5:30pm
  • All Monthly Meals Postponed
  • 2020 IHF Reunion – Date to be announced soon!

We aren’t going anywhere just taking all the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe!

May 2020 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Greetings to all IHF friends!

As we go into another month of restrictions and quarantine, we hope this message finds you and yours well. This has certainly been a learning experience for those of us who did not live through the depression and the war years!

We continue to try and support our heroes as best we can during this time of social distancing, we are sending birthday cards and trying to keep up with our Veterans. The national Board of Directors for Honor Flight has suspended all flights through the end of June, but depending on local regulations we may be able to return to some of our activities after June 1st. Of course, all of these decisions will be made with careful consideration of our exclusive high-risk group. We still have our flights reserved for September and October with every hope of being able to fly. We will communicate any changes to everyone not only through the newsletter but also on our FaceBook page, so please follow us there.

This time of unknowns is unsettling for many. Please be sure to talk to folks you know and care about, be honest with your feelings and take comfort knowing there are thousands just like you going through this at the same time. Since we cannot get together, sometimes it feels like we are more alone with our emotions. Take the time to call, wave through the window, write a letter, send a text, whatever works best for you! Our volunteers are the most caring, loving and dedicated folks you can find anywhere! You are loved and respected by everyone who is involved and supports the Indy Honor Flight and all of us are anxious to get back to work serving our Hoosier Heroes. Hang tough and we will get through all this.

In the meantime, stay healthy by protecting yourself and your loved ones. I won’t repeat the things you are told a hundred times a day-I think we know how by now! Be safe and we look forward to seeing you “on the curb” soon!

In service,
Dale True, IHF Chairman


IHF RAIN RIDE FUNDRAISER!!!!!

You may remember that the Indy Honor Flight Cycling Team participated in the annual Ride Across Indiana (RAIN) in 2018, the 160-mile bicycle ride from Terre Haute to Richmond…in ONE day! Team members requested donations from family and friends…and they raised over $8,000 for IHF! After much encouragement and positive feedback, the team has committed to participating in the 2020 RAIN event.

Assuming the state of Indiana allows, and the event organizers continue to sponsor the ride, you’ll see several cyclists peddling across the state on July 18, 2020 wearing the IHF logo on their jerseys. The pictures below provides all the details for participating in the ride (to include ordering information for jerseys and zip-tees). We need: 1) Bikers 2) Boosters, and 3) Donors. If you’re interested in participating, please follow the instructions on the flyer and SIGN UP!

RIDERS: SIGN UP TO RIDE BY CLICKING HERE
• orders a Jersey (instructions below)
• the Ride coordinator will provide more details
• after you’ve signed up.
• ask every Body you Know to donate to IHF on behalf of the cycling team

Disclaimers:
• Riders must Register for Rain in order to participate in the Indy Honor Flight fundraiser To Register with RainRide.org
• Riders must provide their own support for the Ride (IHF does not provide support along the route)
• Indy Honor Flight is not affiliated with Rain or the Bloomington Bicycle club

BOOSTERS: BOOSTERS (CHEERLEADERS) SIGN UP HERE
• choose a location and time
• hold signs/wave flags
• spread the word about IHF
• the Booster coordinator will provide more details after you’ve signed up

Donations:

Online:
• Go to www.indyhonorflight.org
• click the “donate” tab
• complete “donation” section
• in special note put “Rain 2020”
• scroll down and click “submit via paypal”
• enter name/email and click “checkout with paypal”
• sign into paypal OR click “pay with debit or credit card”
• if using your paypal account, follow paypal instsructions
• if using debit/credit card as paypal guest, enter card
• Number, Billing Address, and contact information and
• click “pay now”

Check:
• write check to “Indy Honor Flight”
• write “Rain 2020” on the memo line
• mail to: Indy Honor Flight
• P.o. Box 10
• Plainfield, IN 46168

All donations should be made by August 15th, 2020

HOW TO ORDER JERSEYS
• go to: www.Jakroo.com
• create an account and log in
• search “Indy Honor Flight” in ‘find my team store’
• make your selections and follow instructions to complete your purchase

Disclaimers:
• All garments are custom made upon order. Delivery time is shown on the order screen. Shipped directly to you. No refunds!
• Highly Recommend Reviewing sizes for “fondo” and “tango” on the Jakroo website…NOT standard sizing! Call Jakroo directly for assistance!
• Indy Honor Flight does NOT receive any proceeds from the sale of these garments.


Vote by Mail/Absentee Ballot – Know your Options

While this might not be news to some of you, in these uncertain times we wanted to provide this information for anyone considering the vote by mail or absentee ballot option. The 2020 Indiana Primary Election will be held on June 2nd. If you, a family member, neighbor or your Veteran would like to vote from home (and avoid a trip to the polls) you MUST mail a request for a ballot no later than May 21st. The qualifications are listed on this link along with instructions on how to request to have a ballot mailed to your house. Please help someone who may not have access to the computer or a printer!

Stay safe!

More Information on Voting by Mail


THANK YOU

The IHF Volunteer Coordinators and Board of Directors would like to thank each and every volunteer that comes out to the curb to stand with us for all or our events. We are humbled and so proud of the dedication and compassion you all show our Heroes! We couldn’t do this without you and we can’t wait until we can stand together again and honor our Heroes!

Let’s Eat!

The monthly meals have been temporarily cancelled. We will let you know as soon as we can what the future will hold for the meals. Have no fear, we will continue these gatherings as soon as it is safe to do so for all involved. Until then we are hugging you from a distance!

Shop Amazon and help IHF!

While life seems to be on pause, it still keeps moving. If you have a Senior you want to send a graduation gift to check out Amazon and help us fly our heroes too? Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!To the Class of 2020 IHF sends our congratulations and best wishes for your future!

smile.amazon.com


NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIANA DRIVERS LICENSE – REAL ID NEEDED TO FLY STARTING OCTOBER 2021

This has been pushed out to October 2021. Is your driver’s license Real ID compliant? If it doesn’t have a little gold star up in the corner, that’s a nope.

People in Indiana applying for a new driver’s license, learner’s permit or ID card are being encouraged to go ahead and upgrade to a Real ID-compliant version at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The cards will be required for everyone beginning in October 2020.

For those who have not yet made the switch but are looking to fly with us as a Guardian, Bus Captain or Medic or if you have a loved one or friend on our waiting list please encourage them to make the switch to the Indiana Real ID now. This is required to board an airplane starting October 2020. Below is a link to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that will provide more information on what documents are needed, etc.

Everything you need to know about Real ID


IHF Out and About in 2020

  • May flights Postponed
  • Avon Cruise In – TBD
  • All Monthly Meals Postponed
  • August 2020 IHF Reunion – Date to be announced soon!We aren’t going anywhere just taken all the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe!

April 2020 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Greetings to all!

We hope you are all doing your best to deal with the curve balls we are getting! Mostly we hope everyone is healthy and working to stay that way.

We do not have a lot to talk about this month, but we would like to take a moment to encourage everyone to help our most at risk heroes and check in on their needs. Every single Veteran we have flown is in the high-risk age group and we all need to help them stay away from risk of infection. A run to the store, a phone call to say you are thinking of them and just how much they are loved and appreciated will help a lot!

Along with so many other events, both of our Spring flights are postponed and all of our training events related to the flights are cancelled. Additionally, all of our monthly Veteran meals are cancelled for March and April. We will continue to monitor the circumstances and let everyone know when we can resume normal operations. We are very disappointed we cannot see our heroes and honor them, but the right thing is to protect their health until the crisis passes. Our Veterans are not forgotten and we will be back stronger than ever, ready to fly the next plane loaded with Hoosier Heroes!

Even with everything going on, we are so fortunate to live in the USA. Our systems are strong, and we have some of the best minds in the world working on solutions. Our medical care is among the best there is and we have caring individuals and businesses working tirelessly to make things normal again. We are all proud of our country and we are grateful for those who served to protect it. We have built a republic that cannot be damaged by any outside force. Never forget how much the previous generations worked to give us the opportunities we have today. We are strong in our hearts- where it counts.
Be sure to say thank you to those who cannot stay home; our military is still on watch and our first responders are working every day regardless of risk. It means a lot to hear from the protected how much you appreciate their dedication.

We are looking forward to the day when we can resume normal operations, in the meantime stay safe and keep looking for the good, it is out there!

Dale True, IHF Chairman


Request for Help

Mail call is one of the best parts of the honor flight for our Heroes! Certainly stirs the “dust up” on the plane! If you would like to write a Thank you letter or send a card or get the kids involved we are still taking mail call! If you are a Veteran who has been on the flight, we strongly encourage you to send a letter to the next group. If anyone knows what they will be feeling as they read their mail it the one that went before them.

Here are a few tips when writing your letter/card:

  • Address to Any Veteran
  • Do not date your letter/card – what we don’t use for Spring we will use for the Fall flights.
  • Express your gratitude!
  • Include a return address so they can say thank you back if they want to.

You can send your cards and letters to:

Indy Honor Flight
PO Box 10
Plainfield IN 46168
Attn: Any Veteran


Let’s Eat!

The monthly meals have been temporarily cancelled for March and April. We will let you know as soon as we can what May will look like. Have no fear, we will continue these gatherings as soon as it is safe to do so for all involved. Until then we are hugging you from a distance!

Shop Amazon and help IHF!

Easter is just around the corner. If you are looking to fill your Easter baskets on Amazon why not help us fly our heroes too? Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!smile.amazon.com


NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIANA DRIVERS LICENSE – REAL ID NEEDED TO FLY STARTING OCTOBER 2021

This has been pushed out to October 2021. Is your driver’s license Real ID compliant? If it doesn’t have a little gold star up in the corner, that’s a nope.

People in Indiana applying for a new driver’s license, learner’s permit or ID card are being encouraged to go ahead and upgrade to a Real ID-compliant version at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The cards will be required for everyone beginning in October 2020.

For those who have not yet made the switch but are looking to fly with us as a Guardian, Bus Captain or Medic or if you have a loved one or friend on our waiting list please encourage them to make the switch to the Indiana Real ID now. This is required to board an airplane starting October 2020. Below is a link to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that will provide more information on what documents are needed, etc.

Everything you need to know about Real ID


IHF Out and About in 2020

  • April and May flights Postponed
  • All Monthly Meals Postponed
  • August 2020 IHF Reunion – Date to be announced soon!

We aren’t going anywhere just taken all the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

March 2020 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Late winter greetings to all of our friends and supporters!

We hope the strange Indiana winter has not hurt your attitude, Spring is coming soon! We all know Indiana has a varied approach to a “normal” season. Regardless, we hope our newsletter finds you healthy and happy.

The Indy Honor Flight is deep into preparation for our first flight of 2020; number 33 on April 11th. Our bus captains have been making calls and setting up interviews, the flight will be full within the next two weeks! We are excited to meet another plane load of deserving Hoosier heroes and to offer them a day of thanks and honor. We are thankful for our great volunteers who are spending a lot of their own time getting the flight ready to go. We also look forward to seeing all of you “on the curb” to welcome the next IHF alumni back from Washington D.C. the evening of April 11 at Decatur High School.

When you read this, we will have just attended the Rotary Clubs efforts at fundraising. On Saturday, February 29th (Leap Day) they hosted a large fundraiser for us and worked very hard to make the event successful! You all know we do not enjoy talking about money, but without donations both large and small we cannot fly our Veterans. The experience has been called priceless by our Veterans, so if you are able to donate we are grateful.

We have two other confirmed flight dates for 2020 so far; May 23rd (#34) and September 12th (#35). We should be able to confirm a date for October soon. Please save these dates and plan to volunteer and attend the Homecoming Celebrations so every Veteran honored will see a large crowd saying “thank you for your service, welcome home and never forget”. Our service members need to know their service will always be remembered, regardless of when they served.
As a reminder, we are always looking for ways to not only raise funds but also to spread the word about our mission. If your civic group, workplace or other gathering would like to learn about the Honor Flight work please let us know.

Again, Spring is just around the corner, so let’s all look forward to rocking a terrific 2020 flight season! We are ready, I hope you are!

In service,

Dale True, IHF Chairman
Indy Honor Flight


Request for Help

Mail call is one of the best parts of the honor flight for our Heroes! Certainly stirs the “dust up” on the plane! If you would like to write a Thank you letter or send a card please have them in the mail by the dates below. If you are a Veteran who has been on the flight, we strongly encourage you to send a letter to the next group. If anyone knows what they will be feeling as they read their mail it the one that went before them.

Here are a few tips when writing your letter/card:

• Address to Any Veteran
• Do not date your letter/card – what we don’t use for Spring we will use for the Fall flights.
• Express your gratitude!
• Include a return address so they can say thank you back if they want to.

• IHF #33, April Flights mail is due to IHF by March 29th, 2020
• IHF #34, May Flights mail is due to IHF by May 14th, 2020

You can send your cards and letters to:

Indy Honor Flight
PO Box 10
Plainfield IN 46168
Attn: Any Veteran

If you know a Veteran on the flight please be sure to address the envelope to them instead of Any Veteran.


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too!

Link to IHF Monthly Meal Information just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

Easter is just around the corner. If you are looking to fill your Easter baskets on Amazon why not help us fly our heroes too? Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!

smile.amazon.com


NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIANA DRIVERS LICENSE – REAL ID NEEDED TO FLY STARTING OCTOBER 2020

Is your driver’s license Real ID compliant? If it doesn’t have a little gold star up in the corner, that’s a nope.

People in Indiana applying for a new driver’s license, learner’s permit or ID card are being encouraged to go ahead and upgrade to a Real ID-compliant version at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The cards will be required for everyone beginning in October 2020.

For those who have not yet made the switch but are looking to fly with us as a Guardian, Bus Captain or Medic or if you have a loved one or friend on our waiting list please encourage them to make the switch to the Indiana Real ID now. This is required to board an airplane starting October 2020. Below is a link to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that will provide more information on what documents are needed, etc.

Everything you need to know about Real ID


IHF Out and About in 2019/2020

  • March West Side Breakfast, Saturday March 7th Click here for details
  • March East Side Breakfast, Saturday March 14th Click here for details
  • March South Side Lunch, Saturday March 14th Click here for details
  • March North Side Meal, Thursday March 26th Click here for details
  • March 26th Ground Crew Training for Spring Flights – check your email or the Volunteer Facebook page for information. MUST BE REGISTERED MEMBER OF GROUND CREW TO ATTEND.
  • April 11th – IHF #33 Decatur Central High School
  • May 23rd – IHF #34 Plainfiled High School
  • August IHF Reunion – Date to be announced soon!
  • September 12th IHF #35
  • October IHF #36 – Date to be announced

January 2020 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Happy 2020 everyone!

We are beginning a new year and a new decade; plus we get to enjoy another Indiana winter- lucky us! We encourage all of our Veteran heroes to be cautious during the snow and ice, we want to see you moving about easily when you come to welcome our next groups of Honor Flight alumni at our Spring flight Homecomings. We look forward to the arrival of Spring!

We are excited about our upcoming fundraiser hosted by the Hendricks County Rotary clubs. On Saturday, February 29th, 5-8pm at the Danville Conference Center we will enjoy an evening of drink, food, fellowship, auctions and, hopefully, a large check to help us continue to fly our Hoosier Veterans to Washington. This is the second year for this event and the 2019 version was incredible; the wonderful folks from the Rotary outdid themselves and were able to raise a significant amount of money for us. They are looking to do better this year and we are very grateful for their unwavering support and hard work. We need to sell out the event’s tickets and spread the word about the ability to bid for auction items online. A link for more information is shown below, hope to see you there!

We have just over 1100 Veterans on our flight waiting list and we receive several more applications every week. Our list is organized by age and service dates, with special attention given to Veterans who are in poor health. We take the most senior Veterans first due to concerns of health and mobility and are working hard to raise the funds to keep flying more Veterans in the coming years. If you or a loved one are on the waiting list, please know you are not forgotten! You only need to apply once; we do not remove Veterans from the list unless they are no longer able to fly with us. Once we receive an application, we send a post card confirming the information is entered into our database. We ask everyone to be patient as we work our way down the list! Every Veteran is important to us.

We continue to hear from our Veterans about what the flight has meant to them, and we share these stories when we visit with civic groups to spread the word about what we do. We have speakers available if your group would like to host a visit to learn more about our mission. Please check in with us regularly on FaceBook (Indy Honor Flight) to keep up with our events and other information!

All members of Indy Honor Flight are unpaid volunteers and many work hundreds of hours making what we do so special. I want to take a moment to thank these selfless men and women for their dedication and love for our Hoosier Veterans. We have no office; our storage space is donated, and we are very careful about how we spend our donated dollars. Our volunteers work from their kitchen tables and around other jobs, yet the work gets done every time, on time! Over 2.700 Veterans have been honored by our Hub since 2012. We are blessed to have the great group we have and are always looking for more folks to help. New Year, new flights, game on! Let’s do this and make 2020 even better than 2019.

In service,

Dale True, Chairman
Indy Honor Flight


Request for Help

The Rotary Club is hosting a fundraiser for IHF on February 29th 2020. Part of the event will be a live and silent auction. We are looking for items to be auctioned off. If you have sporting tickets, concert tickets, a vacation rental, a unique item, or a special talent like wood work, leather work, or jewelry making or just about anything that you would like to donate please contact Maria Larrison at one of the following.

Cell: 317-730-4339
Email: CUBSNUT@ATT.NET


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too!

Link to IHF Monthly Meal Information just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

Valentines Day is just around the corner. If you are looking to get IHF anything how about the gift that gives twice. Buy your love a sweet surprise and send us a portion of the purchase as a gift! Just shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!

smile.amazon.com


NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIANA DRIVERS LICENSE – REAL ID NEEDED TO FLY STARTING OCTOBER 2020

Is your driver’s license Real ID compliant? If it doesn’t have a little gold star up in the corner, that’s a nope.

People in Indiana applying for a new driver’s license, learner’s permit or ID card are being encouraged to go ahead and upgrade to a Real ID-compliant version at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The cards will be required for everyone beginning in October 2020.

For those who have not yet made the switch but are looking to fly with us as a Guardian, Bus Captain or Medic or if you have a loved one or friend on our waiting list please encourage them to make the switch to the Indiana Real ID now. This is required to board an airplane starting October 2020. Below is a link to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that will provide more information on what documents are needed, etc.

Everything you need to know about Real ID


IHF Out and About in 2019/2020

December 2019 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you are well and enjoying the holiday season-I certainly love Christmas time, the lights, the music and the special snacks! We wish you and yours a very special, loving and restful time. As you know, our 2019 Flight Season is complete, and we are proud to report we flew 340 Hoosier Veterans to Washington to visit their memorials. We loved hearing from all of you and how much the trip meant to you; it makes all of the work so rewarding. Another bonus is hearing from family members as they tell us the difference the trips have made in our heroes’ lives. We love you all and hope your holiday time is special!

IHF Alumni you have a new mission: We have flight dates reserved for next spring: on April 11th we will be working out of Decatur Central High School and on May 23rd we will be back at Plainfield High School. We want YOU to show up to support our upcoming flights and to share your experiences with your fellow Veterans. This is how we spread the word about the IHF. Mark your calendars and save the dates so we have a full gym to welcome our new alumni home! Please follow us on our FaceBook page (Indy Honor Flight) for up-to-date information on our activities.

BIG THANKS: Most of you know for the last 3 years we have been the designated charity for the Justus Corporation; perhaps better known for operating the Crestwood Village and Woodland Terrace assisted living complexes. The company selects a charity to partner with for a 3-year period and hosts numerous fundraisers and events for the organization chosen. We are very grateful for the support we have received from them, the friends we have made and the Veterans they have helped us find. It is very apparent this company cares about our service personnel and provides excellent support to worthy causes like ours. We extend our very humble thanks to Justus for their friendship and look forward to continuing to work with them in other ways as we move forward. Thanks, Walt, we love you!

Give the gift of honor: As we draw near the end of the year, we wish to remind everyone we are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and as such most donations made to us are tax-deductible as allowed by law. For anyone who is looking for a place to make end-of-year donations we are more than pleased to accept! The cost of providing these trips continues to increase and we rely 100% on donations for funding. No one in our organization is paid one dime and we are very frugal with our funds. We have no office space (kitchen tables work just fine) and even our storage space is donated. Every dollar donated goes right back to supporting our flight and the related expenses to keep IHF operating so we can continue to fly more Veterans. We work very hard to earn your trust; knowing every dollar will be used to support our mission of honoring our Hoosier heroes. If you wish more information, please call or email us, the contact information is all on our webpage and at the bottom of this newsletter. Click here to donate online

So, as you prepare to have your version of Christmas celebrations, please remember there are tens of thousands of service men and women around the globe who will not spend Christmas with their families. We are thankful for them, their service and the sacrifice they make for us. Please let them know you are supporting them and their families over the holidays by sending a card or a care package. See you all “on the curb” in 2020!

In service,

Dale True, Chairman
Indy Honor Flight


Request for Help

The Rotary Club is hosting a fundraiser for IHF on February 29th 2020. Part of the event will be a live and silent auction. We are looking for items to be auctioned off. If you have sporting tickets, concert tickets, a vacation rental, a unique item, or a special talent like wood work, leather work, or jewelry making or just about anything that you would like to donate please contact Maria Larrison at one of the following.

Cell: 317-730-4339
Email: CUBSNUT@ATT.NET

 


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too!

Link to IHF Monthly Meal Information just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

Only 6 days until Christmas! Give the gift that gives twice. For your last minute online finds shop Amazon Smile and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us!!! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select Indy Honor Flight as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!

smile.amazon.com


THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!!

The Board of Directors would like thank everyone who came out and volunteered for us this year. We could not honor our Veterans without your support, compassion, passion and dedication. We have the best volunteers!!!


IHF Out and About in 2019/2020

November 2019 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Here we are, November already! As Thanksgiving approaches, I wish to thank everyone involved for such terrific support of Indy Honor Flight. Our 2019 Flight Season is complete, and we are proud to report we flew 340 Veterans to Washington to safely visit the memorials built for them by those they protected. We had such a great time on all four of our flights with our sponsors, donors, volunteers, guardians and our favorite people, our Veterans. We know we had some eyes opened, some wounds healed, and some hearts filled with thoughts and feelings long suppressed or ignored. The feedback we get from the flights is truly humbling and all of us who interact with our heroes are blessed beyond words by the experience.

There are so many opportunities to be involved in today’s busy world; we are grateful to have the volunteers who choose to serve our Hoosier heroes time and time again. We could not do what we do without our dedicated army of IHF volunteers.

We have flight dates reserved for next spring: on April 11th we will be working out of Decatur Central High School and on May 23rd we will be back at Plainfield High School. Mark your calendars and save the dates so we have a full gym to welcome our new alumni home!

As we draw near the end of the year, I wish to remind everyone we are a 501 (c) (3) organization and as such most donations made to us are tax-deductible. For anyone who is looking for a place to make end-of-year donations we are more than pleased to accept! No one in our organization is paid one dime and we are very frugal with our funds. We have no office space (kitchen tables work fine) and even our storage space is donated. Every dollar donated goes right back to supporting our flight expenses and keeping the IHF operating so we can fly more Veterans. If you wish more information, please call or email us, the contact information is all on our webpage and at the bottom of this newsletter.
Click here to donate online

We are always looking for more Veterans who have not heard of us, so if you need a speaker for your civic group, school fundraising or perhaps your employer works with charities or allows matching donations we are pleased to come and present about our work. We love to talk about our Veterans and what we do to make them smile! Click here to contact us about speaking events

So, as you prepare to have your family dinner this Thanksgiving, please remember there will be many thousands of service men and women around the globe who will not dine with their families. We are thankful for them, their service and the sacrifice they make for us. Please let them know you are supporting them and their families over the holidays.

Dale True, Chairman
Indy Honor Flight
Chairman, Indy Honor Fight


Request for Help

The Rotary Club is hosting a fundraiser for IHF on February 19th 2020. Part of the event will be a live and silent auction. We are looking for items to be auctioned off. If you have sporting tickets, concert tickets, a vacation rental, a unique item, or a special talent like wood work, leather work, or jewelry making or just about anything that you would like to donate please contact Maria Larrison at one of the following.

Cell: 317-730-4339
Email: CUBSNUT@ATT.NET


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too!

Link to IHF Monthly Meal Information just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


Shop Amazon and help IHF!

Only 45 days until Christmas! If you like to get your Christmas shopping done early why not help Indy Honor Flight out at the same time? Shop at Amazon and they will donate a portion of your purchase to us! Sign up for Amazon Smile and select IHF as the charity you support, that is all there is to it!

smile.amazon.com


VETERANS CHECK THIS OUT!

Veterans Day deals for all who have served, and there is a LOT to choose from! Please take advantage of these discounts, you earned them with your service!

Click the link for a list of all deals available to Veterans: Veterans Deals Click Here


IHF Out and About in 2019

  • November 9th East Side Breakfast – Click here for Info
  • November 9th South Side Lunch – Click here for Info
  • NO NORTH SIDE MEAL DUE TO THANKSGIVING
  • December 7th West Side Breakfast – Click here for Info
  • February 29th – Rotary Fundraiser for IHF – SAVE THE DATE MORE INFO TO COME
  • April 11th – IHF #33 Decatur Central High School
  • May 23rd – IHF #24 Plainfiled High School

July 2019 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

Summertime greetings to all!

Don’t you just love summer? The flowers, the green trees and grass, warm breezes and cold drinks? Indy Honor Flight loves summer because we get to start working on our Annual Reunion and the two fall Honor Flights!

First off-the Annual Reunion! We invite all Veterans who have ever flown with us to come to a family reunion to visit with old friends and make new ones. We will have cookies and other sweet treats for you to snack on and cool drinks to sip while you visit! All of our Veteran alumni should have received a post card invitation in the mail, but if yours did not show up, consider yourself invited! Sunday August 18th, 2-4pm at Plainfield High School. We hope to see your there!

Our terrific September flight crew is out right now conducting interviews with Veteran heroes for our September 7th flight, IHF number 31. The sign-up for volunteers will be out shortly so everyone has the chance to participate and enjoy honoring our Hoosier heroes. There are a host of details for each of these flights and we cannot do it without lots of volunteer help! We look forward to the chance to get airborne with a fresh batch of men and women who defended our freedom.

In about two weeks, the October flight crew will begin making calls to gather the Veterans for our October 26th flight, IHF number 32! It is hard to imagine we have done this same process for over 2500 deserving Hoosier Veterans. I am told by our most senior volunteers that it is just as much fun this time as the first time!

As you may recall, even once the September flight is filled, we will have over 1,000 Veterans on our waiting list, with more applications coming in every week. We often have questions about if Veterans have to re-apply and when will they get to go. No one has to re-apply, we keep everyone on the list until we have a seat for them. As to when; we take our heroes in order of age and service as the older Veterans are generally on a timeline of being healthy enough to be able to fly. We ask for your patience and understanding as we are doing our best to get to everyone.

With that being said, the flights only happen if there is enough financial support to charter the aircraft, hire the buses and take care of a couple hundred other expenses. The prices of everything keep increasing and we certainly appreciate every dollar that is donated! As a reminder, NONE of those expenses involve our staff of all volunteer workers! We are a small group of unpaid volunteers who do this work from our kitchen tables and with time available from other jobs and family. And we love it! If you would like to join us; contributing time or money, we certainly appreciate it.

We have other events, fundraisers and chances to hang out with Heroes coming up. Please follow us on Face Book (INDY HONOR FLIGHT) and stay up to date with our event listing. Feel free to contact us with questions or other needs-we look forward to seeing you “on the curb”!

Dale True, Chairman
Indy Honor Flight
Chairman, Indy Honor Fight


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too !

Link to IHF Monthly Meal Information just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


REUNION TIME!!!

All our Veterans should have received their invite to the 2019 IHF Annual Reunion. It will be at Plainfield High School from 2-4pm. We will have cookies and lemonade and all your favorite IHF Staff will be there! Come join us! Bring your Guardian too!

1 Red Pride Drive
Plainfield, IN 46168


No Trash 4 Cash Fundraiser

This is still going on through the end of July. If you would like to help us raise funds to fly our heroes you can do so by donating to No Trash 4 Cash! It’s so easy, just go to our website Indy Honor Flight and click on the donate tab. Donate $25, $10, $50 or whatever you are comfortable donating just make sure to write the words NO TRASH 4 CASH in the comment section. We appreciate any help you can give us!


IHF Out and About in 2019

  • Every Saturday weather permitting – Avon Cruise In – 6:30pm Lowes parking lot in Avon IN all are welcome! Ground crew look for the sign up!
  • August 18th IHF 2019 Reunion – Plainfield High School – details to come!
  • September 7th Flight #31 – Homecoming Plainfield Highschool
  • October 26th Flight #32 – Homecoming Plainfield Highschool

June 2019 Newsletter

Chairman’s Corner

All IHF Supporters-

Greetings!
I hope you are enjoying the spring/summer despite all the rain and the need to mow every three days! We had two terrific Honor Flights with 170 of our Hoosier heroes; the smiles and happy tears sure do make all the work it takes worth it. We met some truly inspiring men and women; we are grateful for the service all of our Veterans provided our great country. We are so pleased with the way our volunteers help to make these events go so smoothly. We had great weather for both flights and from the Veteran’s comments the flights were everything we hoped they would be.
As we move into summer we have several events and exciting changes coming up.

Our technical guru Nick is updating our records system and we are looking forward to having an even easier way of tracking and contacting our Veterans. The new system will also make our flight information better and more organized. There are a host of details that go into this upgrade and we certainly thank Nick for his hard work.

Watch your mailbox in early August for a postcard inviting all of our Veterans and a guest to our Annual Indy Honor Flight Reunion! Save the date of August 18th and plan on showing up at Plainfield High School for sweet treats, drinks and camaraderie with your fellow IHF alumni.

We are pleased to be helping with the weekly Avon Cruise-In car shows-every Saturday evening throughout the summer you can stop by and see some gorgeous cars, grab a snack and visit with some gearheads and IHF family. It is a pleasant way to spend a summer evening. The weekly 50/50 drawing supports IHF, too! Check out our Face Book page for details.

We will have a booth at the CarmelFest to help spread the word about what we do and search out more Veterans. We thank our friends at Channel 4 for providing us booth space!

Please watch your email inbox for notices about these and other events and fundraisers during the summer. Our Face Book page is a quick and easy way to keep up as well!

If you went on either of the Spring flights we hope you are enjoying all the photos our wonderful photographers have uploaded for you. The photos are all free to download for family, friends and our Veterans. Where else can you have a pro take your picture for free??!! We did have a recent glitch with our site provider, Flikr, so if you are having trouble searching the site please remember the Veterans are loaded in alphabetical order. There are over 3,000 pictures for each flight, have fun!

We are always interested in providing speakers to come to your civic group or other meetings to share our stories of Indy Honor Flight. Please contact us if you have a request.

If you, your company, civic group or other organization Is looking for a non-profit to support, we believe you will be hard-pressed to find a group who are more frugal with their donations and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. We are pleased to discuss options with you.
Please plan to attend our Fall flights Homecoming celebrations and help us fill the gym of Plainfield High School to welcome home the next groups of heroes. See the “Save the Date” area below

In service,
Dale True
Chairman, Indy Honor Fight


Let’s Eat!

Veterans did you know we sponsor meals in four locations around the Central Indy area for any Veteran that has flown with us? Did you know that we also have guest speakers or entertainment at each meal? Click the link below and find the one closest to you and come out and break bread with us! Bring your Guardian too !

just click on the CALENDAR tab for information on all IHF Events around town!

Come eat with us!!!


Join us June 8th in Lebanon for the 2019 BOPC Car Show to benefit us!

The show will be held at Memorial Park in Lebanon Indiana on Saturday June 8th. The rain date is June 15th. Registration will be from 10 to Noon, judging starts at 1:30pm with awards at 3:00pm. Day of registration is $18. Come out and enjoy the cool cars!!!


No Trash 4 Cash Fundraiser

If you would like to help us raise funds to fly our heroes you can do so by donating to No Trash 4 Cash! It’s so easy, just go to our website Indy Honor Flight and click on the donate tab. Donate $25, $10, $50 or whatever you are comfortable donating just make sure to write the words NO TRASH 4 CASH in the comment section. We appreciate any help you can give us!


IHF Out and About in 2019

  • Every Saturday weather permitting – Avon Cruise In – 6:30pm Lowes parking lot in Avon IN all are welcome! Ground crew look for the sign up!
  • June 8th Lebanon Cruise (see above)
  • July 3rd and 4th Carmel Fest
  • August 18th IHF 2019 Reunion – Plainfield High School – details to come!
  • September 7th Flight #31 – Homecoming Plainfield Highschool
  • October 26th Flight #32 – Homecoming Plainfield Highschool