Honor Flight Golf Tournament seeking sponsors

A Korean War veteran hopes to raise $30,000 for High Plains Honor Flight at the Third Annual Golf Tournament.

Going into the third year, event organizers are looking to bring in more community support from Greeley, Loveland and Fort Collins. The tournament provided by Honor Flight, scheduled for June 19 at Pelican Lakes Golf Course in Windsor, is in need of company sponsorships and golf teams.

The Honor Flight is an opportunity to repay and honor veterans for their service through a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., free of cost.

The organization begins the trip with a send-off from Loveland to the Denver International Airport with cheerful, patriotic observers along the way. The group then flies to D.C. to attend a banquet on Day 1, while Day 2 is dedicated to visiting every war memorial for veterans.

Dick Hall, a 92-yearold Korean War veteran, turned to the High Plains Honor Flight while battling depression after his wife’s death. Renita Henson, Hall’s friend of many years, witnessed him come back with a new sense of meaning in life.

“It gave him so much purpose and so much new joy to have something to live for that he decided he wanted to give back,” Henson said.

Once returning home, sparked with joy from his Honor Flight experience, Hall wanted to find a way to repay the organization.

His method: For the past two years — going on year three — Hall has hosted a golf tournament at Pelican Lakes Golf Course to raise funds for Honor Flight. In September, he presented a $22,000 check to Honor Flight board members Mark Gill and Matt Voris.

The money went toward supporting veterans on the 2023 Honor Flight.

The second gold tournament raised $7,000 more than the first, while also bringing in a larger turnout with 34 participating teams.

Now, Hall and his helpers hope to raise more money and reach more veterans in 2024 through the third golf tournament.

“We truly appreciate your support of High Plains Honor Flight,” Voris said at the September check presentation. “To date, you’ve donated … more than $40,000 to our cause. That’s put at least 20 veterans on trips to D.C.”

If anyone is interested in donating or sponsoring Hall’s endeavors, or wishes to participate in the golf tournament, please contact Henson at renita49on@ gmail.com.

ALEX MCINTYRE — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Korean War veteran Dick Hall presents a check for $15,000as a donation to High Plains Honor Flight at Pelican Lakes Golf Course in Windsor Sept. 22, 2021. High Plains Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing veterans on a trip to see war memorials in Washington, D.C. free of charge in honor of their service. Hall organized a golf tournament at the course earlier that year to raise the money for the donation.