You can help a Hero Fly!

Thousands of our serving men and women cannot get home to their families when they need to the most.

Imagine Thanksgiving last year. Everyone gathered around the table, the game on. What could be better?

Except someone is not there.

A brother, sister, husband or wife is unable to make this family gathering of perfectly cooked turkey due to their heroic service overseas.

The table feels empty when someone you love cannot make it.

This is exactly how Terri Keeney felt, realizing a family friend would not make it home for this holiday and probably many more to come.

Do you or someone you know have family in the military? If so, you are aware of the problem –

The US government does not pay for travel over the holidays or family emergencies. Service members with under two years’ experience earn poverty-level wages, making travel nearly impossible when needed.

Terri Keeney, along with military mom, Pam Matt, decided they would not sit by and let this happen to their military friends and families any longer. Together, over six long weeks of paperwork and preparation, they created Helping Heroes Fly.

The mission behind Helping Heroes Fly is to “provide airfare to enlisted military personnel so that they can be home with their families for holidays and special occasions when they otherwise cannot afford a ticket… Finances should never keep a military hero from being with family.”

The nonprofit, on file with the Colorado Secretary of State, has dedicated at least 90 percent of all donations to airfare costs. The remaining ten percent is for nonprofit maintenance.

The next step is getting the non-profit to take off soaring. Being so new, Terri and Pam have set a modest goal of flying 20 service men and women home for Thanksgiving this 2016. All they need is the donations for the tickets.

As Keeney states,

“Pam and I were willing to wrestle with the government and we’re willing to ask for money because I can’t help think about a solider lonely on Christmas. I don’t ever want to turn a family of a military hero away because we don’t have enough funds.”

This is where you can help.

First, you can spread the word. Because Helping Heroes Fly is still a new organization, they are looking for anyone to connect with them on Facebook or Twitter, and help them create the strong non-profit needed to support the military families they serve.

A more direct way to help is to donate funds towards airfare tickets, online or via check: www.helpingheroesfly.com/donate.

Helping Heroes Fly also is looking for businesses owners who may have resources for promotional items to incorporate their logo on t-shirts and more, or to create professional written material. Because Keeney and Matt are committed to spend only 10% on administrative costs, they are looking for any deal they can get!

Lastly, as our Charity of the Quarter, we are proud to host Helping Heroes Fly with our Referral Program. With each referral we receive from you, we donate $5 to Helping Heroes Fly: www.unioncolonyins.com/refer.

The person you refer to us does not have to purchase a policy from us for our referral to count as a donation, all your friend needs to do is mention they heard of us through you, regardless whether you’re a client or not!

Do you or a friend know someone serving in the military? Let us know in the comments below! We love to thank our military men and women.