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VOL. 3/ISSUE 38
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015
Doctor issues $10K challenge to help struggling Honor Flight
Photo courtesy of Dr. Shamsher Singh Honor Flight members volunteers, and Honor Flight World War II veterans join St. Lucie County dignitaries in announcing Port St. Lucie physician Dr. Shamsher Singh’s $10,000 challenge to match funds to go toward future Honor Flights for World War II veterans. The announcement took place July 6 at a City of Fort Pierce ceremony honoring the Southeast Florida Honor Flight and the veterans it has flown to Washington, D.C. Singh is second from left. St. Lucie County Commissioners include, from left, back, Chris Dzadovsky, Kim Johnson, Tod Mowery, Paula Lewis and Frannie Hutchinson. Veterans who participated in Honor Flights include, from right, Dick Ramsey, Allen Tyrell, Bill Gaudreau, Joe Stinchcombe, Vincent Barry, Orlando Chase, Anthony Anzalone, Joe Russell and Frank Bender.
Mary Kemper FOR VETERAN VOICE
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Recently, one of the Southeast Florida Honor Flight’s major sponsors regrettably declared that although it wants to support Honor Flight, it is unable to financially pledge its support this year.
The unexpected news has left the Honor Flight organization with a serious situation, as it relied on that funding source to carry out it’s final flight of each flying season. The final flight of the 2015 season is scheduled for Oct. 24. The deficit that must be made up quickly is $65,000. Dr. Shamsher Singh, a Port St. Lucie dermatologist and passionate supporter, 11-flight guardian and generous donor to Southeast, Florida, Honor Flight for World War II veterans, has announced that he will match the first $10,000 raised for the October flight with his own donation of $10,000. To help meet Honor Flight’s urgent need for funding and to participate in Singh’s matching funds challenge, donations can be made at www.honorflightsefl.org or sent to Southeast, Florida, Honor Flight, Inc., P.O. Box 1503, Stuart, Florida, 34995.
In April, Singh had proposed a matching offer challenge of $10,000 to the HANDS of St. Lucie County Clinic, as their funding had been drastically slashed. Within six weeks, his $10,000 challenge drove in $56,000 for the clinic. Honor Flight is hoping Singh’s generous offer will help raise the necessary funds to provide the October 2015 flight for World War II veterans. Southeast Florida Honor Flight, as well as the 133 other hubs in the nationwide Honor Flight Network, is dedicated to flying American’s veterans to their respective memorials in Washington, DC, free of charge to the veteran. Each flight typically takes 85 World War II veterans and their guardians on a oneday trip of a lifetime, taking off from Palm Beach International Airport at 6:30 a.m. with stops at the U.S. Marine Memorial
See MATCH page 8