The Cuivre River Electric Community Trust Board has awarded a $2,100 Operation Round Up grant to Veterans Coffee Talk in Troy to help the group send three local veterans on the Central Missouri Honor Flight.

The Honor Flight Program is directed by a nonprofit group of volunteers who transport local veterans to Washington, D.C., on a day-long journey to visit memorials that honor their sacrifices. Honor Flights are fully funded by donations from individuals, corporations and groups like Coffee Talk to honor heroes. The average cost per veteran is about $700. 

Operation Round Up has provided more than $14,000 since 2014 to support this effort locally. The recent donation helped Veterans Coffee Talk volunteers reach their fund raising goal of $10,000 for the year.

The Central Missouri Honor Flight has taken 179 local veterans on its Honor Flights in the last seven years. 

Honor Flight volunteers perform a variety of tasks, from departure to arrival logistics, to administering travel details and communication with veterans as the trip approaches.

Guardians play an important role during the trip. Each veteran is appointed a guardian who is trained and responsible for physically assisting the veteran with a walker or wheelchair, stairs, medication and ensuring the veteran has a safe and memorable experience. Guardians receive no financial assistance and are responsible for their own Honor Flight costs.

To learn more about Honor Flight visit www.mvhp.net. Contact Roger Kiesey at 636-528-7935 for additional information or to schedule a veteran interview. Donations can be mailed to 1380 Boone St., Troy, MO 63379. All donations are tax deductible.

To learn more about Veterans Coffee Talk in Troy stop by the group’s social gathering each Thursday from 9-10 a.m. at the Lincoln County Council on Aging, 1380 Boone St., Troy. 

Operation Round Up funds come from Cuivre River members who donate from 1 cent to 99 cents that round up their monthly payments to an even dollar amount. Members’ average contribution is about $6 per year. One hundred percent of the funds are used to benefit local residents and organizations. Grants are administered by trustee volunteers from St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren and Pike counties. 

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Troy with a branch facility in Lake Saint Louis, is the largest member-owned electric distribution cooperative in Missouri. It provides service to more than 63,500 residential, business, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in Lincoln, Pike, St. Charles and Warren counties. For more information, visit www.cuivre.com or call 800-392-3709.

Veterans Coffee Talk volunteers Roger Kiesey and Mike Creech, who is also the Honor Flight coordinator, accept an Operation Round Up grant to send three local veterans on an upcoming Honor Flight. Coffee Talk efforts have made it possible for 179 local veterans to make the journey to Washington, D. C. to visit memorials that honor their service and sacrifices. Submitted photo.