By Jacob Engels
We all should pitch in to help Honor Flight Central Florida. I will carry water for them, how about you?
The Honor Flight mission is made possible though the donations of everyday people who recognize there is a need to say thank you to this generation of heroes before it is too late. While funding is important, getting the word out to the veterans is also a challenge. Many times this generation are not able to ‘Google’ something they heard on television. It is often only by word of mouth that they become aware that the opportunity exists.
Allen Wilson, Chairman of Honor Flight Central Florida, explains that these two challenges are joined by a third, the need to identify “Guardians”. Guardians are people like you and me who would like to spend the day escorting and supporting the veterans on their trip. To ensure that all the funds are dedicated to veterans and not to promotional or overhead costs, Honor Flight asks these guardians not only for their time but for a donation of $500 to ensure as many veterans as possible are able to take the trip.
Wilson explained that the first four fights of 2013 are planned, scheduled and paid for but there is a significant hurdle to overcome for the September and October flights.
“We need to sign up 50 Veterans and 50 Guardians to get the flight off the ground. We usually take a scheduled airline but this fall the available flight won’t give us enough time on the ground to make that possible. To overcome the obstacle we will need to charter a plane and that means increasing our sign up rate,” he said.
In the four county area served by Honor Flight Central Florida there are over 10,000 World War II age veterans so the challenge is to get the word out. It’s easy to sign up. Just go to the Honor Flight Central Florida web site at honorflightcentralflorida.org and download the application for either Veterans or Guardians and send them to the address on the form. Alternatively you can call 407-203-7010 and ask that an application be mailed to you.
Jacob Engels, is the Founder of East Orlando Post. Along with the Post, he owns several other businesses and is currently enrolled at Valencia College. Jacob has lived in Avalon Park since it’s founding and enjoys playing with his black Labradoodle Jasper, listening to indie rock, and seeking out new business ventures. He can be reached at info@eastorlandopost.com
