Operation Hero Miles

The original concept of Operation Hero Mileswas created by Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersbeger in cooperation with close to a dozen United States Airlines in October, 2003.  Since then, the program has provided over 13,000 airline tickets from over 380 million donated frequent flyer miles, allowing wounded service men and women to visit their families between treatments and transporting loved ones to military medical centers, while their wounded family member receives urgent care.

The program, brilliant in its simplicity, is not just aimed at corporate America.  The most typical donors are retired couples who give a few thousand miles at a time. James Weiskopf the Fisher House Foundation’s vice president for communications comments, “When enough people donate small amounts, it becomes a large amount”.

Operation Hero Miles gives ordinary citizens an opportunity to help our troops in a very direct way that makes a real difference in their lives.  For more information on how to donate frequent flyer miles or credit card frequent flyer points, visit: http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/heroMilesDonate.shtml

Navarre Lions Club Supports Fisher House Again!
December 2008

Fisher House of the Emerald Coast were the beneficiaries for the second successive year of the Navarre Lions Club Golf Tournament, held recently at the Hidden Creek Golf Club in Navarre.

Fisher House board member Angela Campbell is pictured receiving a check for $750 from Lions Club president Denny Hufstader and treasurer Shari Bauer.

Fisher House of the Emerald Coast Golf Tournament
December 2008

At the recent Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, members of the Chamber Young Professionals who helped  coordinate the First Annual Fisher House Emerald Coast Golf Tournament, presented vice president of the organization, General Joe Oder (Ret’d.), with a check for $20,450 from the event.  Teams participating in the shot gun tournament held in September of this year at Kelly Plantation in Destin, enjoyed a gala dinner the night before.
The event was sponsored by Coastal Business Products, Indyne, Inc. & J.E.® Jacobs.

Pictured with General Oder are Paul Brannon and Chad Hamilton of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber Young Professionals.

Army mom raises $5,000 for Fisher House

December 18, 2008 

‘Civic rent’ pays off at Fisher House

FISHER HOUSE OF THE EMERALD COAST IN THE NEWS

Construction has begun!  The contract was signed in August and the expected completion is August/September 2010!  It’s great to see the earth moving!  If you are local, drive by and see for yourself.  We’re all very excited!

1st Place Winners are from left to right, Karl Wicker, Pete Darmstetter, Donna Moses, and Dan Moses.

Local Veteran’s Charity Golf Tourney Nets $13,000 for Fisher House
On Saturday, 14 November under bright blue skies at Bay Dunes Golf Club, local Veterans Organizations held their annual fun Golf Tournament to benefit Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, an organization that builds lodging facilities near military and veterans hospitals to house visiting family members at no cost to the families.

The group, which consists of members of the local AMVETS, VFW, American Legion, Marine Corps League, and Military Order of the Purple Heart, is in its 7th year of fund raising and boasts over $70,000 raised to date towards needy Veterans causes.  This is the second  year that Fisher House was chosen by the group to receive the proceeds

This year, 107 players broken into teams played the course under excellent weather conditions and vied for prizes including a brand new 2009 Kia Automobile put up by Bill Byrd Kia.  Although no one won the auto, James Morris of James Auto missed the prize by about three feet.  With final scores adjusted to compensate for handicaps, there was less than a one point difference between the top three teams.

At the end of the day, it was the team consisting of  Karl Wicker Pete Darmstetter, Donna Moses, and Dan Moses that took home the winner’s trophies with a net score of 58.1 but more importantly, a fun time was had by all with door prizes being given to at least one player on each team.  Prizes were also given for Best Dressed, and Oldest and Youngest Players in the tournament.  The prizes were donated by local merchants who will be appropriately recognized in an upcoming edition of the News Herald.

Following the tournament, a check in the amount of $13,000 was presented to the Vice President of the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, Joe Oder.  This makes a total of $30,000 in the past two years in donations to the organization.  The facility is currently under construction right outside Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County and scheduled to open to accept visiting families next August.  In accepting the donation, Oder lauded the efforts of the group stating that in his visits to Fisher Houses around the state, the expression of appreciation on the faces of the families receiving lodging accommodations in the facilities is heartwarming and instills a sense of accomplishment to those involved in the effort. The group plans another tournament next year sometime around Veterans Day to support additional Veterans needs.  Story By:  Danny Somers – AMVETS Post 2298 Public Relations Officer

by Lois Walsh
Team Eglin Public Affairs

9/2/2009 – EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The time-honored tradition of celebrating promotion with a party was rewritten by five lieutenant colonels ready to pin on new rank.

When Lt. Cols. Donald Finley, Gregory McNew, Mel Petersen, Charles Greenwald, and Doug Hagen were notified of their selection to colonel, they collectively decided to give back to the community. Instead of spending money on food and drinks, they donated the party funds to the Fisher House.

The Fisher House provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. Construction is currently underway across from Eglin’s Regional Hospital on Boatner Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for fall 2010.

Tom Rice, vice president of the Fisher House Board of Directors said the donation is a welcomed addition to their fundraising.

“In our resort area, it is difficult for families to find lodging,” Mr. Rice said. A retired First Sergeant for the United States Army, Mr. Rice said the donation is “a gift that keeps on giving.

“At military functions like dining outs, we always have a table set to one side to remember those who were not able to attend,” he said. “In the same vein, everyone is able to attend this promotion party through their donation and it is a way to honor veterans well into the future.”

Colonel Greenwald, 46th Operation Group, said the idea of donating the funds grew after difficulty with the logistics of setting up a party. Since Lt. Col. Gregory McNew was reassigned and Lt. Col. Douglas Hagen was deploying, it complicated matters.  He also said that giving back to the local community, and Fisher House, is part of the Air Force tradition of service before self.

“It got to the point where it was fairly anticlimactic as we tried to hang with tradition,” he said. “I don’t know what sparked it (the donation), but it felt a little better to me personally,” he said.

Colonel Finley, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, handled the arrangements for the official check presentation. He said donating to the Fisher House made sense.

“They need help; it’s something military related, prominent and not military funded, so it seemed like a great choice,” the colonel said.

Colonel Petersen, who is assigned to the 53rd Wing, agreed.

“We thought ‘let’s pick a good charity and it will go to a good cause,'” he said. “In the end, everyone thought Fisher House was a worthy cause and needed a boost in their resources and visibility to help put it back on peoples’ scope.”

The donated funds will be used to keep the Fisher House operational after its opening.

Fisher House opens at Eglin
by Sachel Seabrook
Team Eglin Public Affairs

9/13/2010 – EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla — Two years and one snip of the giant scissors late r ,the Fisher House, a safe-haven for families of ill and injured servicemembers, was dedicated here Sept. 10.

Master Sgt. David Keeley and son Zachary are surrounded by community and base leaders as Zachary cuts the ribbon, officially opening the Fisher House Sept. 10 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The new facility provides free lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at the base hospital or veteran’s center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Sachel Seabrook.)

The new facility becomes the 47th Fisher House and is located only steps away from the Eglin hospital and veteran’s clinic. It provides free lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers.

To date, the Fisher House Foundation has helped over 500,000 families.

“As impressive as that is, it’s not enough,” said foundation president David Coker.

Among those in attendance were Maj. Gen. C.R. Davis, Commander of the Air Armament Center, retired Col. George E. “Bud” Day and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller.

“They call it a house, but we all know it is much more than that. It’s a home,” said the congressman.

The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast houses 12 family suites. Nationwide, the Fisher House program has offered more than three million days of lodging to people in need.

The Fisher House program was established by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher in 1990, who dedicated more than $20 million to the construction of comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.

The Fisher House Foundation provides “comfort homes,” built on major military instillations and VA medical centers for military personnel and their families who are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for medical care. There is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center.