September 22, 2016-A group of Milwaukee-area veterans will soon take a memorable trip to our Nation’s capital thanks to Manheim Milwaukee’s, initiative to support Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, an organization that flies WWII, Korean War and terminally ill veterans to Washington, DC to visit their memorials. The highly-motivated Manheim Milwaukee team, along with its dealer and commercial clients, raised $16,000 – exceeding their initial goal of $8,000 – and enough to send 32 veterans on the Honor Flight.
“This was a very special fundraising initiative for us because we have a number of veterans that work at the auction,” said Manheim General Manager John Olejniczak. “Our team members and clients really came together, exceeding our goal by 100 percent, to make this one-of-a-kind opportunity possible for our veterans.”
Fundraising opportunities came in many forms - from donation circles on the wall, change collection in the cafeteria, and direct money contributions. Manheim Milwaukee by team members contributed more than 105 donations equaling $3,600. Full-time employee contributions were matched up to $250 through the Cox Automotive match program. Eight Dealer Groups and two Commercial Groups made donations based on cars sold in their lanes – with a special thanks to New Look Auto and Millennium Motors which made a $2,000 contribution and Toyota/Lexus Financial Services which donated $3,000.
As an extra touch, Manheim Milwaukee hosted and displayed a Stars and Stripes photo wall for three weeks depicting a previous Honor Flight experience on this memorable trip. Veterans who had taken the flight were also at the location to tell their story, share their experiences and spread the word about the Honor Flight.
Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Inc. is a Wisconsin based nonprofit organization that started in 2008, and has flown over 4,500 veterans to Washington, DC. They actively promote educational aspects of this mission in local schools and throughout the community.
