Get Involved

Wheelchair Donation

Honor Flight Columbus utilizes wheelchairs to transport senior Veterans who go on day-long trips to Washington DC to visit the memorials erected in their honor. These wheelchairs have a tough job.

On each flight the chairs are loaded on and then off the chartered airplane. They are then loaded on and then off the buses at least six times as the deluxe motor coaches drive and park from airport to memorial to memorial, and then back to airport as the Veterans, their Guardians, and the wheelchairs go to see the memorials up close.

Our wheelchair maintenance team of Volunteers work hard to keep our chairs in service from flight to flight, but they do take a beating and we have a pretty high attrition rate.

Donations help keep our fleet healthy and are really important to us! Here’s what we need:

Standard, large wheeled wheelchairs that fold-up.
New, nearly new or serviceable (clean, with foot rests, good arm rests, seat and back material not torn) chairs.
Seats 16-18 inches wide and 16-17 inches deep.
Can carry a 300 pound person
Adjustable swing-away footrests, no elevating leg rests please!
Swing up arm-rests
No cushion, no seatbelt, no travel bag, no cup holders.

Frequently, long-term wheelchair users accumulate new spare parts that include arm and foot rests, hand grips and other user replaceable items. We always have need for these new items.

Please contact us 614-284-4987 or info@honorflightcmh.org to arrange a donation.

Thank you on behalf of our senior Veterans.

Honor Flight Columbus is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization under the Internal Revenue Code and donations may be tax-deductible.

wheelchair

"Honor A Vet" Program

Honor Flight Columbus is excited to offer an opportunity for your group or organization to honor a veteran on an upcoming flight.

For a minimum $1,000 donation to Honor Flight Columbus, your group or organization will help support the HFC Mission of sending our Senior Veterans to Washington DC. With your donation, your organization will receive information and media which shows what a veteran will experience on a typical HFC Mission.

If you have any questions, please email info@honorflightcmh.org.

sponsor a vet

Hold a Fundraising Event

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Community fundraisers, and fundraisers sponsored by churches, schools, and fraternal organizations have made it possible to take more than 8,600 Veterans from the Central Ohio area since 2007. We would be happy to talk with you about fundraising ideas and ways in which we might be able to support your event.

Please contact the Honor Flight Columbus office at info@honorflightcmh.org.

fundraising event

Be a Volunteer

Volunteer Your Time and Talent

We are a volunteer organization. We welcome anyone with a heart for honoring veterans. Please contact us if you are interested in contributing your time and talents to Honor Flight.

Volunteers are needed for everything from administrative tasks, fundraising, ground crew and guardians who accompany veterans on the trip to ensure a safe and memorable trip. Our volunteer teams are: Ground Crew Team, Hero Salute Team, In Office Prep Team, Mail Call Team, Media Team, Medical Team, Outreach Team, Parade Team, Regional Volunteer Team, Reunion Team, Veteran Ambassador Team, Veteran Call Team & Wheelchair Maintenance Team. More detailed information on each team can be found on the Volunteer Application Form below.

How to Volunteer

Volunteering for Honor Flight Columbus is easy. Start by completing and submitting an online application. Click here to access the online Volunteer Application form.

If you have any issues completing the form or need to update your volunteer profile, just let us know. We can also help with any general questions regarding volunteering for Honor Flight. Email us at volunteers@honorflightcmh.org.

volunteer

Guardians

Guardians serve a very important role for Honor Flight Columbus.

Our mission is squarely focused on the Veterans, their safety, comfort, well being, and enjoyment of the day. To ensure every mission is a success, we are very selective in who is invited to serve as a Guardian.

First and foremost, serving as a Guardian is work. It is a LONG day, it likely will involve pushing wheelchairs, being responsible for additional tasks, managing all manner of physical and emotional challenges throughout the day. This is not a "tour" for the Guardians, it is hard work - exceptionally awesome hard work - and perhaps one of the most rewarding "work" days you will ever experience.

We have some basic rules and expectations.

Family members are not permitted to serve as a Guardian for their Veteran except under very limited circumstances.
Veteran/Guardian requests will be considered but due to critically important Veteran experience considerations, most requests will not be accepted.
We have a policy that sets an expectation that the Guardian can not be older than the Veteran that they are serving.
Mandatory training - an in-person preflight session two weeks before the mission.
Positive attitude, willingness to be a team member, respect and awareness of our mission.
Good ability, fitness, and health - sufficient to stay on top of your game all day - from 5:00am to midnight. To lift 100 pounds, push a heavily loaded wheelchair for extended periods. To walk approximately 4 miles, in any weather condition.
Ability to "pay their way" - the Guardian Fee is $450 and partially covers the cost associated with the trip for the Guardian.
Commitment to the HONOR, SHARE, CELEBRATE vision of this organization.

What else are we looking for?

Veterans willing to serve as a Guardian.
Young Professionals.
Medical Professionals (EMTs, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Doctors, etc.).
Interest in having a recurring role.
History of Volunteering with Honor Flight Columbus.

New guardians need to submit an application: Guardian Application

Returning (2021-present) Guardians, please complete this form to update and/or opt out of the program: Current Guardian Application

DC-based guardians are needed as extra hands for our missions. Click here if you are in the DC area and want to get more info: DC Based Guardian Help

Enjoy this opportunity you have to be with these American Heroes. Please give them the attention and care they so richly deserve. HFC reserves the right to refuse a guardian based on their inability to meet the expectations and requirements. The first priority will always be what's best for our veterans.

guardian

High School Student Guardian

In order to qualify for this program, a school must have an introductory event for students (e.g. a presentation by HFC staff and/or veterans to explain HFC and its mission). All students must be nominated by their respective schools and must meet all HFC guardian requirements listed here. Any high school students accepted into this program will fly at no cost. The limit is 6 high school students per flight.

The presentation can be to a small class (maybe a social studies class) or an assembly. We have a presentation so that the students know about the mission of HFC.

Our flights are on Thursdays so the students would need to miss a day of school. The guardians would need to come to training at our office in Upper Arlington two weeks ahead of the flight, in the evening from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Each guardian will have 2 veterans assigned to them for the day. We will try to assign veterans that are geographically close to the school.

We would prefer the students to be seniors, but they could also be juniors. They need to be at least 16 years old. The perfect scenario would be a student heading into the service after school.

This initiative has provided a unique opportunity to educate the students and their school communities about the experiences and sacrifices of our nation’s senior veterans. We have received widespread and universally positive feedback about this initiative from students, parents, schools, and our community generally. Most importantly, the veterans have consistently expressed their pleasure and gratitude for this chance to share their legacy of service with this next great generation.

kroger

Shop at Kroger

Kroger Community Rewards Program Provides Money to Honor Flight Columbus. Sign up now. This does not reduce your gasoline or other Kroger perks.

Honor Flight Columbus - Organization Number 82159

All participants must sign up online to participate. You can no longer scan the barcode at the registers or service desk.

To re-enroll:

Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com

Click Columbus, OH
Click re-enroll
Enter your email address and password
Type 82159 to find Honor Flight Columbus
Click on the circle left of the Honor Flight Columbus name.
Click on Save Changes
Verify by looking at “Community Rewards” on the next screen. Enrollment Date should show the date you re-enrolled.

To enroll for first time:
CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SIGN UP

If you have any questions, please call 1-800-KROGERS

Our Veterans Thank You!

studentguardian