Honor Flight CAK is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and a member of the Honor Flight Network, established in 2005. Honor Flight CAK is staffed with dedicated community volunteers from the Akron-Canton regional area and serves the following counties: Allen, Ashland, Carroll, Columbiana, Fairfield, Fulton, Guernsey, Harrison, Homes, Jefferson, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne.
In January 2008, Honor Flight CAK became a nonprofit (501c3) organization under the direction of Valerie Street Kinney (Canton). A board was formed, officers appointed and two more missions were completed by the end of the year.
Our round-trip flight to Washington D.C. includes visits to a combination of the following memorials :
World War II Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Korean Memorial,
Vietnam Memorial Wall, Lincoln Memorial and the FDR Memorial
Each veteran is provided with an Honor Flight CAK T-shirt, hat, canvas bag, wheel chair and oxygen provided if needed. Meals and water are provided throughout the day. Each veteran is provided an escort or “Guardian” throughout the trip. Guardians are volunteers who are family members and/or community members wanting to say thanks to those who served our country.
Honor Flight CAK flights:
- Flight 1 – September 8, 2007: 95 Veterans – 54 Guardians
- Flight 2 – May 3, 2008: 95 Veterans – 54 Guardians
- Flight 3 – September 20, 2008: 93 Veterans – 55 Guardians, 1 Media
- Flight 4 – May 30, 2009: 118 Veterans – 64 Guardians, 10 Boeing Volunteer from Washington D.C.
- Flight 5 – September 12, 2009: 114 veterans, 67 Guardians and 20 Boeing Volunteers from Washington D.C.
Through the end of 2009, Honor Flight CAK has safely flown over 500 veterans to see their memorials in Washington D.C. To date, the entire Honor Flight Network has transported nearly 25,000 veterans of World War II to see the memorials built to honor their suffering and sacrifice to keep this great nation free and a world leader.
