Our goal is to raise funds and awareness for The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund or (IFHF), an A+ rated veteran’s charity. So far we have raised a few hundred dollars in donations, but are always looking to add to that total. We try and promote the charity as best as we can whenever our schedule allows. We provide all of the charity’s contact information and website for those who would rather do the research before donating. At the end of the day it’s not how or how much people contribute, just that they contribute. Some folks feel comfortable putting cash in a donation can and some just don’t, that seems to be the general consensus looking at it so far.
The car and display always seems to draw a great response from the crowds. The dragster is a rolling work of art with a completely custom armed forces paint job. It was selected as the best overall appearing Jr. Dragster at the 2011 NHRA Eastern Conference Finals in Bristol, TN. We recently displayed the IFHF theme car at the 2012 McGuire AFB open house air show in Wrightstown, NJ. We happened to be positioned next to the US Army display booth and were able to interact with members of our armed forces throughout the day.
The US Army Golden Knights parachute team used the area next to our display to fold up and repack their chutes after finishing their Saturday morning air show performance. Kaitlin walked over and quickly made friends with two of the team’s performers. She asked them a few questions and continued to talk with them about our display and the charity she represents. The team came over a few minutes later for a photo with Kaitlin and her Jr. Dragster. We spent another half hour or so talking with four of the team members. At the end, we made arrangements to take more pictures with the entire Black demonstration team and their aircraft first thing the following morning.
Sunday morning was a great experience for us! Kaitlin and I were escorted out to the ramp area where the show aircraft were staged for the day’s performances. We had a VIP tour of the Golden Knight’s aircraft, saw all of the gear, and met the entire team. We were given a chance to get a behind the scenes view of what goes into a Golden Knight’s performance first hand. Kaitlin tried on one of her new friend’s (SSGT Howie Sanborn) parachute gear for a few fun pictures. We then proceeded outside on the ramp for the photos of the IFHF car with Kaitlin and the entire Golden Knight’s Black demonstration team.
After the morning’s performance, Kaitlin helped pack SSGT Sanborn’s parachute rig that she had on earlier that day. He gave her a quick lesson on how to pack a parachute. She was very cautious, listened well to his directions, and stayed involved throughout the process. She seemed to really enjoy the entire experience and I must say a special thanks to the Knight’s Black Demo team for the hospitality! I think we and the team members had a mutual respect for each other. We admire what they do in service for our country. They appreciated our support and what we are doing with the charity to help our injured American soldiers. Most of the team members knew people who were killed in action or wounded in their line of service. Giving back and helping our soldiers is so important; I only wish we could get more people involved in this cause.
By: Ed Fox
Posted on May 16 2012 in News