Four residents of Wesley Manor retirement community will be recognized for their military service as they join other veterans on one-day Honor Flight trips to Washington, D.C. The nonprofit Honor Flight organization celebrates veterans by transporting them to the nation’s capital to see the memorials built in honor of their sacrifices.
Costs for the veterans’ trips are covered by the Honor Flight organization, while the travel costs of Wesley Manor residents’ companions are covered by the BHI Foundation.
Wesley Manor is one of four continuing care retirement communities operated by Indiana-based non-profit BHI Senior Living. The BHI Foundation is a charitable foundation that provides grants for community projects that improve and enhance the quality of life for BHI communities’ residents while also making them good neighbors.
BHI Foundation Director Jennifer Zvokel said, “We encourage all veterans in our retirement communities to take advantage of this trip that honors them and the sacrifices they made for our country. Everyone who goes on the Honor Flight returns saying how happy they are that they went.”
April 17 trip out of Lafayette
Two Wesley Manor residents will travel April 17 out of Lafayette. David Wilson, 72, who served in the Army during the Viet Nam era, will be accompanied on the trip by his grandson, Matthew Wilson. Harold Kinsler, 73, who served in the Air Force during the Viet Nam era, will be accompanied by his daughter, Rachel Bednar.
The April 17 flight departs from Purdue University Airport at 7:30 a.m. and returns at 7:30 p.m., when the public is invited to a “Welcome Home” event at the airport.
April 28 trip out of Indianapolis
Wesley Manor resident Don Pershing, 89, served in the Army during the Korean War. He and his son, Mark, will travel from Indianapolis on April 28. He and his wife have lived at Wesley Manor since 1998.
May 8 trip out of Lafayette
Wesley Manor resident Dick Sutton, 86, will travel to D.C. on May 8. A U.S. Army veteran, he served as an X-ray technician in the medical corps during the Korean War. He and his wife have lived at Wesley Manor for ten years. Sutton will travel with family friend, Justin Trent, and their plane will depart from Purdue University Airport at 6:30 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m., when the public is invited to a “Welcome Home” event at the airport.
Wesley Manor has been the premier retirement community in Frankfort since 1961. It is an affiliate of Indiana-based, non-profit BHI Senior Living, which began in 1905 as a faith-based organization and has four continuing care retirement communities: Wesley Manor in Frankfort, Four Seasons in Columbus, Hoosier Village in Indianapolis, and The Towne House in Fort Wayne. While it is also a nonprofit, BHI Senior Living has the size and financial strength to compete and succeed in today’s marketplace. BHI has a powerful balance sheet and a BBB+ rating from financial rating service Fitch.