Charity event honors WWII vets

 The Ocala Honor Flight got a $7,676 boost from the Ocala Palms community Saturday night.

The Ocala Palms Honor Flight committee chairperson Janet Fassano presents a $6,500 check to Morrey Deen, Ocala Honor Flight organizer during the evening. The check will send 14 veterans to see the World War II memorial in Washington D.C.

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World War II veterans from the community were honored during the charity event. Ocala Palms Honor Flight Ambassador Bob Ruddick, right, pinned each veteran in attendance with a lapel pin. Being honored is Bernard Fischer, USAF, retired.

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World War II veterans of Ocala Palms were honored during Ocala Honor Flight Charity event Saturday evening. World War II veteran Teley Lazisky looks at a display with photo of Ocala Palms resident that served in World War II. The display included a photo of the serviceman then and now.

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The fundraising event also honored the World War II veterans living in their community – both those in attendance and those homebound.

In organizing the event, members of the Ocala Palms Planning Committee were accepting a challenge from the SummerGlenn community. In that challenge other retirement communities were challenged to plan a fundraising activity for the Honor Flight effort, said Janet Fassano, chairperson of the event.

The Honor Flight program sends veterans of World War II to see their memorial in Washington D.C. at no cost to them. The third trip from Marion County is planned for June 14 and four veterans from Ocala Palms: Richard Lanzara, Bob Larsen, Joe Riley and William Stewart will be on that trip.

As residents entered the community’s golf and country club for the evening, a $10 donation got them in the door with proceeds going to the cause. They each were handed a small American flag by either Uncle Sam, Brian Browne or Rosie the Riveter, Angie Broughton.

Fassano encouraged residents to use those flags again by going to the Ocala Airport the evening of June 14 to welcome home the veterans on that flight.

Saturday evening also gave residents many opportunities to wave the flags as World War II veterans were called to the stage for special recognition. The veterans were given special lapel pins, certificates and specially designed booklet with photos from their service days by committee members.

The evening concluded with musical performances by Ocala Palms residents Marion Backmon, Gardner Spencer and Noelle & the Greyhounds made up of Bob and Noel Brouillard, Barry Fies, and Andy Pietrzyk.

Prior to the musical portion of the show, Fassano presented the $6,500 check to Morrey Deen, Ocala Honor Flight organizer, and encouraged other 55-plus communities like Ocala Palms to raise funds for the cause. She noted the check would pay for 14 veterans to make the trip to the monument that wasn’t constructed until the 1990s.

The sale of raffle tickets and 50/50 drawings from the evening raised the total amount earned, from the almost 2,000-resident community, to $7676.

A fourth trip from Marion County is tentatively planned for October, donations permitting.

Ocala Palms resident Betty Kidder said she enjoyed the evening of patriotism, recognition of veterans and music.

“This made for a nice evening,” she said.