Ottawa American Legion Auxiliary donates $7,000 to Lee County Honor Flight from Fall Fest proceeds

The Lee County Honor Flight is growing as more and more La Salle and Bureau counties veterans join the trips to Washington D.C.

Exemplifying that growth, the Ottawa American Legion Auxiliary made the honor flight effort the beneficiary of its Fall Fest proceeds. The auxiliary donated $7,000 to the Lee County Honor Flight, which pays for about 13 veterans flights.

In turn, there were about 20 veterans on the latest honor flight in October that left from the Quad Cities to Washington D.C. and 13 more from Bureau County. A subcommittee has been formed in La Salle County to assist the Lee County Honor Flight with its 501c3 organization and there is discussion about including La Salle and Bureau counties in the Lee County name, said Jim Travi of the Lee County Honor Flight.

Additionally, 16 guardians from the La Salle County area accompanied veterans on the honor flights. These guardians are volunteers who $400 for their own flight to assist veterans on their trip – and that payment is considered a tax-deductible donation to the program.

Jean Firlik of the Ottawa American Legion Auxiliary said several local businesses donated items that helped the Fall Fest to success. The Gaffney Davis Band also donated back its full payment for performing at Fall Fest to the auxiliary.

“There is a demand for veterans in La Salle and Bureau counties to join these flights,” Travi said. “We’ve received several applications and interest. We also have a group here at the Ottawa American Legion that is dedicated to raising money and promoting the Honor Flights. People like (Jean) Firlik are really working hard to promote them and make them a success.”

Any veteran in La Salle County who is interested in going on an honor flight, or interested in being a guardian for an honor flight, can contact the Ottawa American Legion at 815-433-1191.