Villages Honor Flight hosted a tribute to celebrate and honor veterans on Monday at Brownwood Paddock Square. More than 5,000 veterans and Villagers made their way to the square on Monday evening for a celebration that warmed the hearts of all in attendance. Thousands filled the stands and streets to watch performances from The Villages Twirlers & Drum Corps and singer Garrett Miles. The event, sponsored by Parady Financial Group, drew veterans from all military branches, as well as hundreds of grateful supporters from the community.
“The commitment that Greg Parady, the owner, and myself as the managing partner have made is that we want to make sure that we give back to the community as much as we can,” said Cindy Nazzaro, managing partner at Parady Financial Group. Parady, which has existed for over 10 years in the region, celebrated the second anniversary of their Villages office today.
The group sponsors between eight and 12 events a year for different organizations, groups, and charities that their clients endorse. “We want to get as many World War II Vets on those planes to visit the memorials in Washington, D.C. in 2014…I couldn’t think of a better program to get involved with,” said Nazzaro of Parady’s partnership with Honor Flight.
Earlier in the evening, Honor Flight announced new plans for next year, including an increased focus on gathering World War II veterans for their flights. “We need to continue to find World War II veterans. We want everyone to help us find a veteran,” said John Driscoll of the Villages Honor Flight. The group displayed Uncle Sam’s famous “I Want You” posters to draw World War II veterans to sign up.
Among the changes announced was an increase on each flight from 25 passengers to 50 passengers. Although the frequency of the trips will decrease slightly, this will increase the overall total number of veterans attending Honor Flights, a goal Honor Flight has set each year of their existence.
Driscoll also announced the beginning of a new “Non-Flight” Honor Flight program, which will provide those who are unable to make the Honor Flight trip with a similar experience. “There are many veterans who are unable to make the trip. We’re going to put in place a program where we can give them a similar experience without actually going up to Washington.” The group hopes to eliminate all obstacles for those who have been unable to attend on account of physical limitations and to get as many veterans as possible to experience the trip.
More than two-dozen volunteers helped facilitate the tribute, giving of their time and talents much as they have for Honor Flight. As Driscoll noted, volunteer guardians for Honor Flight must pay for their trips to accompany veterans to Washington, D.C., separately, as all funds generated are put towards helping veterans make the trip.
The Villages Honor Flight will next host a concert featuring The Villages Swing Band at the American Legion Post 347 on Dec. 7, 2013 beginning at 7 p.m. The Villages Swing Band will perform a collection of songs from the 1940’s. The event will feature an auction of various items donated by Villagers and collected by Honor Flight volunteers.
Around a dozen veterans were able to attend Monday’s festivities as a result of a local transportation company’s efforts. Village Airport Van furnished a vehicle and driver (Ted Skolits) to transport 11 passengers to the event to make sure they enjoyed the festivities with their fellow veterans.
For more information on The Villages Honor Flight concert, contact Marilyn Gagen at (352) 753-2603. To learn more about Parady Financial Group and their involvement in the community, try visiting them online at http://paradyfinancial.com/.
