Home » EKPC, CoBank donate $10,000 to local Honor Flight chapter

EKPC, CoBank donate $10,000 to local Honor Flight chapter

WINCHESTER, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2012) — The Bluegrass Chapter of Honor Flight, a non-profit organization created to honor U.S. veterans for their sacrifices, has received a donation of $10,000 from East

Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) and CoBank as part of the bank’s “Sharing Success” program.

Honor Flight flies veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and other conflicts, some of whom may be terminally ill, to Washington, D.C., free of charge so they can visit the World War II Memorial, Korean War

Veterans Memorial and other memorials to American veterans. The Bluegrass Chapter is part of the national Honor Flight Network.

EKPC and Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will sponsor an Honor Flight on Saturday for veterans from the 87-county area served by EKPC’s 16 owner-member cooperatives.

“We’re delighted to help provide additional support for such a worthy organization,” said EKPC CEO Tony Campbell. “And we commend CoBank for its generous initiative to celebrate the cooperative model. Last year, when EKPC sponsored an Honor Flight, the participating veterans said it was one of the greatest days of their lives. So, EKPC supports the Honor Flight program to show our appreciation to these brave veterans who risked so much for our freedom.”

“The additional donation will allow us to further our mission of honoring World War II and Korean War veterans from the region,” said Brian Duffy, president and founder of the Bluegrass Chapter of Honor Flight. “These veterans, by their nature, are always so humble and stoic, but it is abundantly clear that these trips are so important to these warriors of yesteryear.”

The contribution is part of CoBank’s “Sharing Success” program, a $3 million matching grant program designed to benefit cooperatives and charitable groups they support throughout rural America. Coinciding with the United Nations’ “International Year of Cooperatives,” CoBank will match contributions by its cooperative customers to nonprofit organizations of their choice for the remainder of 2012, or until the fund is exhausted. The gifts will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis, from a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum of $5,000.

“Shared success is a hallmark of the cooperative business model,” said Robert B. Engel, CoBank’s president and chief executive officer. “Throughout rural America, cooperatives of all sizes are working not only to provide value to their members but to improve the quality of life in their local communities. We’re delighted that East Kentucky Power Cooperative has taken advantage of the Sharing Success program and that they are using it to support such a worthy cause.”