Article published November 11, 2009
Veterans Day is year-round effort in Toledo
Pennies add up to send aging servicemen to WWII memorial in D.C.
Ally Hinsey, 14, right, adds pennies to a jug under the gaze of Ben Huner, 13, and Elena Sokoloski, 12, during a collection at Maumee's Gateway Middle School to fund veterans' flights to Washington.
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THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY
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By JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
During a gathering of Elvis Presley fans and impersonators in April, the Toledo Elvis Festival raised more than $3,500 for Honor Flight Northwest Ohio.
The Manhattan Dance Company pulled in $3,500 for Honor Flight at a Nov. 1 variety show staged at Notre Dame Academy.
And Findlay High School football players collected $5,000 in a one-day weight-lifting marathon last spring that helped send a group of Hancock County area veterans to Washington Oct. 14.
With financial support from all corners of the region, Toledo's Honor Flight Northwest Ohio raised some $210,000 this year to escort nearly 200 area veterans to the nation's capital to see the World War II memorial, up from 142 veterans who made the trip in 2008.
Today may be Veterans Day, but Honor Flight has developed a base of support working year-round to make sure aging veterans get to see their memorial.
Forget the poor economy. Dee Pakulski, founder and director of Honor Flight Northwest Ohio, said every time veterans return from a flight and wind up on the evening news, people open their wallets."Our community sees the ear-to-ear smiles on the faces of our heroes, and I think individuals and businesses are more inclined to give from the heart to see that more veterans have that opportunity," she said.
"They also know this is an immediate need. The time factor involved in this mission is pretty short so I think they're very willing to help us accomplish our task in a timely manner."
Kendra German, administrator at Ottawa County's Riverview nursing home, said she felt she was getting "a tap on the shoulder" to do something for Honor Flight after she found herself at two presentations about the group within a few weeks of each other.
An amateur singer, Ms. German put together a concert, spaghetti dinner, and auction at her church, Elliston Zion United Methodist in Graytown, on Saturday night that raised more than $2,600 for Honor Flight Northwest Ohio.
"That money alone will get at least six veterans to Washington, D.C., which I think is a huge accomplishment for the community," Ms. German said. "I'm a true believer in what our veterans and our current service men and women do. I thank them so much for what they give up so that we can have the freedom we have in this country."
Honor Flight relies entirely on donations like that to pay for charter jets to take veterans from Toledo to Washington and back in one day. Each flight, including meals and the motor coach that chauffeurs the veterans around Washington, costs approximately $30,000.
While some donations are small - one elderly man contributed $1 - all of them count.
Maumee's Gateway Middle School launched a "penny war" this week that pits sixth, seventh, and eighth graders against each other. Silver coins and dollars are welcome, but they count against a class's penny total, said Sabrina Hoffman, a classroom assistant at Gateway.
"You want to put pennies in your class's jug and silver in the others," she explained.
Ms. Hoffman organized the fund-raiser for Honor Flight in conjunction with Veterans' Day.
"I think it's one of those days that kind of gets overlooked with all the hype over the bigger holidays, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming," she said. "I just think it's a worthwhile cause for the veterans. It's a great way to show support."
The youngest World War II veteran is now 81, and the need to get them to the nation's capital is more urgent than ever.
"Our waiting list is about 520 with probably more in the mail that I haven't opened yet," Ms. Pakulski said.
Toledoan Michelle Rosencrantz, who helps organize the annual Elvis Festival with her husband, Bob, said proceeds from the event have gone to Honor Flight for the past two years, and the couple catered a send-off breakfast for the veterans on both years.
"The veterans deserve it and they're so thankful for anything," she said. "One guy came back from the flight and said to me, 'Thank you so much.' I found out later he was a prisoner of war - and he's thanking me!"
In addition to donations by individuals and organizations, Honor Flight has benefited from the generosity of area medical supply businesses - O.E. Meyer Co., Pharmacy Counter, Wright & Filippis, and Fitzsimmons Hospital Services - which provide wheelchairs and other equipment for the flights.
Businesses like West Park Place and Kingston Health Care have provided complimentary breakfasts for the departing veterans on flight days, and two groups - the Maumee Eagles and Owens-Illinois - each contributed $30,000 to sponsor an entire flight.
Spare change is welcome, though.
"Monroe Road Elementary asked kids to bring in pennies, and they collected $1,200 in one day," Ms. Pakulski said.
"This is proof it doesn't take much if the community works together," she said.
For others interested in the honor flight project, go to honorflightnwo.org.
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-724-6129.
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