Illinois girl raises $1,100 for Honor Flights

GRANDDAUGHTER'S LOVE

All the stories that I’ve heard when my grandpa went and someone called him not a good name, I didn’t like that.”

Ellie Lepper, grandaughter of West Point veteran Ron Fedler

WEST POINT – Never underestimate the power of a child.
Lee County has seen several efforts lately of children getting behind fundraising efforts and bringing home the bacon.
On Monday, a 10-year-old girl from Abingdon, Illinois presented a check for $1,100 to the Great River Honor Flight program out of Quincy, which sends veterans on a one-day round trip flight to Washington D.C. to visit national military memorials around the capitol.
More information on the flight can be found at https://www.greatriverhonorflight.com/.
Ellie Lepper, the granddaughter of West Point veteran Ron Fedler, said she was so taken with the reception for the veterans that she wanted to do something to help.
“When my grandpa went to the honor flight and came back, I saw the red carpet and I was like, ‘Wow’,” Lepper said.
“I was just very inspired.”
She said some of the stories she’s heard about her grandfather’s time in the military made her want to help. Her brother, Dillon, is also now serving, both with the U.S. Army.
“All the stories that I’ve heard when my grandpa went and someone called him not a good name, I didn’t like that.”
She said she baked with her parents for two days – one of them with no air conditioning.
They sold cake pops, party mix, brownies, zucchini bread, banana bread, and chocolate chip cookies.
Her mother Nicole and father Matt helped with the baking, and ‘product quality’.
Nicole said she asked if her children could come to the orientation with her grandfather. After that and the return trip, Ellie wanted to do something to help.
“We were gonna have it at home, but a teacher at the elementary school asked us if we wanted to do it at the Legion. They were having a car show there and said we would probably sell out,” Nicole said.
Ellie said one gentleman came up toward the end of sale and bought everything she had left.
“She was so impressed with how kind everyone was at the sale. I think we’re going to do this again.”
Nicole said she’s received other contacts from people who want to continue donating. So the family is planning another bake sale.
Carlos Fernandez, the former general manager with WGEM in Quincy, helped create the honor flight program 15 years ago. He said he’s not sure if Ellie is the youngest to fundraise or not.
He said the success of the program is based on the veterans and people who want to show appreciation and respect for the veterans.
“I don’t want to say that she’s the youngest, but she’s pretty darned close. She must be quite a salesperson,” he said.
“This is such a great project and fundraiser and it’s wonderful to see the children get involved. It will send two or three more veterans to Washington D.C.,” Fernandez said.
He said this is the 15th year that the program has been sending veterans to the nation’s capitol.
The next flight is set for Aug. 15th beginning at Hannibal-LaGrange with a bus ride to St. Louis Airport and then to Washington and back. Donations can be made at the website above.