Students help raise money for World War II Veterans
Students, volunteers and community members gathered last Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the West Acres Mall for the Honor Flight telethon.
The event helped raise money to send World War II veterans to the Washington Memorial in Washington, D.C. in May.
“Last fall my husband and I were watching TV and heard about the Honor Flight in North Caroline and Ohio,” said Tracy Briggs, project coordinator for Honor Flights. “My husband said I should so something like that here, so I wrote up an outline and proposed we do the project at WDAY.”
Briggs, a morning show co-host at WDAY radio, said once WDAY gave approval the Fargo veterans organizations jumped in and helped form a committee to organize the event.
Brianne Montgomery, a senior in business administration, said she first heard about Honor Flight from her grandfather, who is the Honor Flight committee treasurer.
“I was talking to my grandfather one day, and he was talking about the Honor Flights project he had been working on and how much work it was,” Montgomery said. “ I told him I thought it would be something students would be interested in, so I sent out an email to students and I gave the idea a shot.”
Briggs said most World War II veterans have never been to the Washington Memorial.
“We had over 600 veterans who applied to go, and we can only take 120 on the first trip,” Briggs said.
Although Briggs said they have raised enough money to send the first group to Washington D.C., they are now trying to raise enough so all the veterans who applied can go.
The cost to send all 620 veterans to Washington, D.C. is estimated at $450,000.
Montgomery said there were a few different ways community members could donate money.
Chrysler and Dodge dealer groups donated a PT Cruiser Convertible and a Dodge Durango to be raffled off for $50 per ticket on July 23.
“People have been stopping by writing out checks and throwing in money all morning,” Montgomery said. “They can buy a t-shirt for $25 or a pin for $15, with all proceeds going to Honor Flight.”
WDAY was set up doing live broadcasts every hour and phones were set up for people to call in and pledge donations, Montgomery said.
Six students volunteered their time to come in answer phones and take donations, Montgomery said.
“NDSU has been great,” Briggs said. “Brianne Montgomery came right forward and asked ‘what we can do?’ and Bison Brevities is donating money as well. It’s all really appreciated.”
Doughnuts were given away and Victor’s Dance Studio offered live entertainment during the telethon, Montgomery said.
“We are all shooting to raise as much money as we can so we can give all the veterans who have applied the chance to go,” Montgomery said. “We’re going to try and get a fundraiser started at NDSU in the fall, because the fundraising doesn’t stop after they send the first group of veterans over.”
Briggs said fundraising began in January and will continue until the goal is met.
“It took around 60 years for the memorial to be built, so the youngest veterans that served in WWII are in their late 70’s and early 80’s already,” Briggs said. “There isn’t a whole lot of time left for them to travel and it would be a great way for the younger generation to say thank you.”
For more information about Honor Flights or to pledge a donation, go to www.wdayhonorflight.com.