DENVER — 9NEWS and Rocky Mountain Honor Flight's telethon on Thursday raised $151,996 to send Colorado veterans on the trip of a lifetime.
The veterans fly to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials celebrating their service and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In the nation's capital, the veterans have the opportunity to visit the war memorials honoring their sacrifice, connect with comrades in arms and receive the recognition of generations of grateful Coloradans.
Each trip of three days and two nights, for which the veterans pay nothing, costs $60,000 to $65,000. To date, the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Honor Flight has taken more than 1,350 veterans to Washington.
Each flight carries veterans, their guardians and medical staff. All staff members are volunteers. The trip is always free for veterans.
Rocky Mountain Honor Flight said the campaign, including the 9NEWS telethon, raised a total of $151,996.52. Here's where the donations came from:
- Phone donations: $82,865
- Online and QR code donations: $49,131
- Alpine Bank donations: $20,000 since December
> Video below: Far from home: The Rocky Mountain Honor Flight:
Rocky Mountain Honor Flight is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and receives no government funding. Honor Flight funding comes from private donations.
All funds raised during the telethon go directly to organizing additional flights for Colorado veterans. All donations are tax deductible.
> Donate online now: Rocky Mountain Honor Flight
The first Rocky Mountain Honor Flight was in 2008. Since then, the chapter has made more than 45 trips with more than 1,000 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.
Top priority is given to the most senior heroes, as well as those who are terminally ill. According to the organization, it is estimated that less than 500,000 World War II veterans are alive today, with more than 500 passing away each day.
On the Honor Flight trip, veterans spend two days visiting sites in Washington, D.C. Stops include the World War II Memorial, Navy Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington Navy Yard, Arlington National Cemetery, Air Force Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
You can read more about the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight at RockyMountainHonorFlight.org.
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