The Garden Shop Nursery at McCarran and Mayberry in west Reno was packed Monday morning! Not for a Memorial Day Garden Sale but a pancake breakfast benefiting Honor Flight Nevada.
It was perfect weather and a picture perfect event.
"I am soooo excited," said Terri Bath who owns the Garden Shop Nursery but who has also taken on Honor Flight as her personal mission. "There are even more people here this year than last year. We had 100 tables last year; this year we have 200 and they are all full! That means we can send more veterans to Washington D.C. This is amazing!"
Honor Flight Nevada took its first flight in October of 2012 and is now working on its fifth flight taking veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. They take between 30 and 40 veterans on each flight and all go all expenses paid, because of events like today's pancake breakfast.
"I went on the last Honor Flight," says Primo Quarisa who served in the U.S. Navy from 1950-1954. "I was so honored to meet all these heroes and to be here and just to be a part of all this. It's an amazing program. It really is."
Republican Senator Dean Heller has also been involved since that first flight. "These are first class citizens and they deserve every bit of thanks and every bit of respect. I am proud to do what I can to help honor them."
"It's a great cause and a great turnout today," said Reno Mayor Bob Cashell.
"Reno really knows how to step up," Terri Bath said. "I mean this really is the best community in the country. If you go and ask you get donations and you get dedicated volunteers and you can do something this amazing."
Money raised today will go toward the next Honor Flight. The date has not yet been set. But the success of today's pancake breakfast and the anticipated success of the Honor Flight Gold Tournament coming up June 13th, could be enough to fund the entire flight.
You can get involved with Honor Flight and get more information on their upcoming golf tournament at www.honorflightNV.com
Written by Erin Breen
