Anonymous donor offers $10,000 to help veterans keep Honor Flight

An anonymous donor has offered to help local veterans keep flying amid a still-raging pandemic.

The donor, who serves as a guardian for the nonprofit Southeast Florida Honor Flight, announced Monday he would match the first $10,000 raised for the all-volunteer organization that brings local World War II, Korean and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials that honor their service and sacrifices.

Honor Flights take place four times a year, but all scheduled flights were canceled amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, while fundraising events also were curtailed.

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Donations during the next two months will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000 as part of the anonymous donor's challenge, which runs through Nov. 15.

"Southeast Florida Honor Flight is thrilled with this gracious donation and challenge to raise funds to continue to fly local veterans to Washington, D.C.," the organization said in a statement.

The anonymous donor, who is the son of a World War II veteran, volunteers with a variety of child, animal and service charities, including Meals on Wheels, Feeding South Florida, Team Rubicon, Equestrian Assisted Therapies and Make-A-Wish Foundation, according to Southeast Florida Honor Flight.

As a child, he hung out with his father’s World War II friends instead of kids his own age.

“All of them were involved with some type of flying, either as instructors, bomber pilots, flight engineers, or carrier fighter pilots," he said via Southeast Florida Honor Flight. "Whenever there was a dinner or cocktail party hosted by my folks, I would worm my way out of my room, even after being told firmly not to come out, and want to talk with them."

Each Honor Flight trip costs $115,000, which includes a chartered American Airlines A321, motor coaches and police escort in Washington, D.C., three meals and veteran T-shirts and hats.

The next Southeast Florida Honor Flights out of Palm Beach International Airport are scheduled for April 10 and May 15, 2021.

For more information or to donate, visit www.honorflightsefl.org or www.facebook.com/honorflight.

jwagner@pbpost.com

@JRWagner5

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Anonymous donor offers $10,000 to help veterans keep Honor Flight

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