The Villages - April 2021 - 17

VOLUNTEERING
FOR THE HONOR FLIGHT

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Villages Honor Flight.
As an entirely volunteer-run organization, the Villages
Honor Flight would not exist without the efforts of its
volunteers. Even though missions have been put on hold
for the time being due to COVID, the organization still is
looking for volunteers for several different opportunities in
the coming months.
Arnold emphasizes that anyone interested in joining
the Honor Flight can volunteer as much or as little as they
would like.
" You can sign up for what is comfortable for you, " he
said. " What is comfortable for you could be an hour, or it
could be many hours - it's up to the volunteer what they'd
like to do and how much time they'd like to put in. "
Also, with so many different teams within the Honor
Flight, they have a job for just about anyone, regardless of
what they may be interested in or what they would like to
focus on - it's all up to the volunteer.

" The volunteers are extremely important, " Judi said.
" It's important to me that they enjoy what they're doing -
that they're not just doing something. I think they all will
go away saying it means a lot to them because no job in the
organization or in the vet's life is too small. "
Arnold says VHF volunteers take their jobs to heart
- helping the organization accomplish its goals of doing
everything they can for veterans.
" Mark Erdrich coined the phrase, 'It's all about the
veteran,' " Arnold said. " And I will say, to the person, all of
our volunteers embody that statement. I really think that's
important. "

A SENSE OF
ACCOMPLISHMENT

Arnold, Fahey and the Hechts all share one major
sentiment - volunteering for the Villages Honor Flight
gives each of them a huge sense of accomplishment when
they see the reactions of both volunteers and veterans.
" Honor Flight has been one of the most rewarding
volunteer things I've ever done, " Arnold said. " Being
involved in the organization and looking at the happiness
on the veterans' faces and the thankfulness that they get for
being thanked - that's really what it's all about. "

THE VILLAGES HONOR FLIGHT
The Villages Honor Flight always welcomes to anyone interested in volunteering their time and
efforts. Anyone who would like to volunteer can call 352-432-1382 or visit villageshonorflight.org/
volunteers for more information. Arnold also says that anyone interested in volunteering must be a
member of the organization due to insurance purposes.
MAGAZINE

http://www.villageshonorflight.org/volunteers http://www.villageshonorflight.org/volunteers

The Villages - April 2021

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