Upper Peninsula Honor Flight has spent nearly a decade offering local veterans free transportation to visit memorials in Washington, D.C., and now an effort has begun to pay homage to the organization for all of its hard work.

An exhibit being developed at the multi-use complex on the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba will give visitors an opportunity to learn about the U.P. Honor Flight. The committee behind the project has begun looking for donations in support of the exhibit, which will be known as Honor Flight Legacy.

“Honor Flight Legacy is to have the memories of what a day on an Honor Flight encompasses,” Paula Waeghe, chairwoman of the Honor Flight Legacy committee and a long-time Honor Flight volunteer, said of the exhibit.

Since the Honor Flight Network’s mission statement focuses entirely on the flights themselves, the U.P. Honor Flight cannot put funds that have not been explicitly donated for Honor Flight Legacy toward the exhibit.

As a result, the committee has started to seek financial support from local residents and organizations.

“Boy, do we need aid,” Waeghe said.

The project’s fundraising goal is set at $30,000.

This organization is all about recognizing the sacrifices our vets have made, and giving back to them. If you are able to, please consider a donation toward this exhibit.

Donations in support of the exhibit can be sent to 7508 J Road, Gladstone, MI 49837. Make checks out to Honor Flight Legacy or specify cash donations are intended to go toward the exhibit.

Photos for the reflective area can be sent to 802 Wisconsin Ave., Gladstone, MI 49837. People are advised to send copies of their photos instead of the originals. High-quality copies are preferred but not required.

— The Mining Journal, Marquette