QC Forum - 9-21-25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Quad City Forum, a weekly community service program
produced by iHeartMedia to look at the issues and opportunities
that exist in our community. Now here's your hosts for
Quad City Forum, Pot Luke and Denny Linhowe.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
We have Becky Buckdrop from the University of Illinois Extension offices.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
And it's amazing.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Now you do marketing your local fund development program coordinator.
I just wonder, and I've done this when I talk
to Tracy, Joe and everybody else there with the University
of Illinois Extension. Do you guys get a chance to
sleep ever? Or is it pretty much? Twenty four seven,
three sixty five.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
We all love our job because it's so great. Everything
we do, you know, it's for the community and it's
such inspiring work that you know, we love it.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
There are a couple of big events that are happening
here all the time with the University of Illinois Extension,
and people should always just if you want to see
what's going on, or maybe catch some tips that website.
I mean, I don't know how much bandwidth you have
to use just on the website alone, but there's tons
of things that people can pick up just by going

(01:04):
to the website anytime and they just have to do
a search on University of Illinois Extension and you'll probably
see that pop up. But a couple of big events
that are happening in October is all a part of
four each Week.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
Right, We always kick off four each during National four
each week, and that's the first week of October, And
this year we're actually going to be having a kickoff
event the Saturday before October fourth, and we're going to
be at them only in Tractors Supply Grand Opening events.
A lot will be happening from ten to four that day,
and so we'll have a booth there, So that's a
great opportunity if you want to learn more about how

(01:37):
to join Forage get involved. We're going to have an
activity boot. You can pick up a goodie bag. There'll
be for each members there with showing some of their
projects that they've worked on. They'll be staff there, and
then Tractor Supply is also doing a bunch of fun stuff.
They'll be antique tractors, some food trucks, some farmers' market
vendors and stuff. So it's a fun day to come
and check things out. So we'll be there all day

(01:58):
from ten to four on that Saturday October forth and
then that is a great way to learn about the
Forage program. Of course, you can also visit our website.
Forah is just such an awesome program for youth to
get involved in. You know, as a parent, my kids
are involved in it and they're adults now and they
have their own kids, and they're saying, you know what,
when when we were kids, we learned so much in

(02:18):
Forage because it really is it's hands on and that's
something I think. You know, we're kind of in a
virtual world. Everybody's on their computers or on their you know,
phones and stuff. But Forage gives kids a chance to
learn those skills, to develop social skills. They're in clubs,
they're meeting with other youth, they can figure out things
that they the project is. That is a great thing
that fourage projects give them a chance to explore what

(02:41):
they want to, you know, things that they're interested in.
If they're interested in science, you know, environment, plants, farms, agriculture,
you know, it's not just it's science. It's everything cooking, sewing,
you know, all those kind of things. Electricity, so any
interest that you have, you know, rockets, drama, you know,
there's two hundred different project areas that you can pick from,

(03:05):
and so like that's an awesome thing for youth. And
then they get to you know, showcase them out the
fairs and stuff. But throughout the year there's community service
volunteer opportunity. So they learned so much with citizenship, leadership,
life skills. You know, you talk to anybody that was
in four age growing up, they just know that the
program itself is just so vital to like getting those

(03:26):
skills that you can carry throughout your life.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
I have always thought, now I'm more of a city guy.
I live out in ore in Illinois now, so I'm
a little bit more of a transplant. But I would
think a lot of people think that four H is
for the rural communities, and that's that's nowhere close to
the truth.

Speaker 4 (03:48):
No, it's it's for all ages. And here in Rock
Island County we do a lot of things. We have
special interest clubs so you can join us for activities
that way. But yeah, we have clubs throughout you know,
all areas of the cod cities and in the rural
areas as well. But no, the programming, there's like a
ton of science and We also because we're associated with

(04:08):
the University of Illinois, we have things like the Leadership
Illini Summer Academy, so then you can actually go to
the University of Illinois for a summer weekend and get
lessons and from all the professors there. They have you know,
leadership activities too for youth that they can also go
in like junior high there's a Junior Leadership Conference. So

(04:29):
there's lots of great things. That way too, is the
association with the university. We have a ton of art programs,
we have you know, dog obedience, and even for city
kids that want to do some farm stuff. We actually
have a gentleman that will bring in goats to the
Rock Island County Fairgrounds and he shows them how to
show goats. They can show one of his goats and

(04:50):
so you know, even if you're a city kid and
you want to try some of that no tons, Yes,
and we have like our general Projects areas, the biggest
area at the fair that's where we have just one
hundred the projects. That's where you do showcase your science,
your art, your photography, your woodworking, electric you know, all
those skills and things that people like to do. So yeah,

(05:11):
it's definitely for everybody, not just for farm kids for sure.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
And definitely when we talk about the University of Illinois
and talk about how inclusive, you'll even take hawkeye families
and cyclone families, you know, you and I panthers, you'll
take them all over there with the University of Illinois,
just to help children and help kids and families too.
In some cases they can be a family that can
be kind of to themselves a little bit, and that

(05:38):
social aspect that you had touched on earlier, that's so important.
It really does help not only the children, but the
families open up too.

Speaker 4 (05:48):
With four age Yeah, and I also want to encourage,
like if there's any parents that are thinking, you know, oh,
I'd like to get my kid involved. You know, you
can also become a leader, So you can start a
club with as few as five kids. Maybe you have
a couple of cousins, a couple of neighbors, and then
you can plan and you know, have your monthly meeting.
We do tons of you know, we'll do your training,
your screening, give you all kinds of resources, and then

(06:10):
you can start that for your own kids in your community,
your school, your church, whatever you think you know, we'd
love to have more leaders that because the leaders are
what make four AH possible. You know, we have the
resources and everything, but it's those leaders that give their
time to say, we want to inspire the next generation.
And so that's a key to four H is really

(06:31):
having those good leaders. So we'll have resources on that,
and please visit our website and talk to us about,
you know, ways you can get involved as a leader.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, you kind of touched on it again, and sometimes
I just double back in on it when you talk
about the resources too. For some people to think, well,
I can't start a club. I don't have enough money
for that, and that's not necessarily. The University of Illinois
Extension offices can help with some of that stuff too.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
Oh yeah, so we do and like to join for
each for the year is twenty dollars, but we also
have waivers and stuff for kids that can afford that.
But that gets you the full year access to all
of our programs, workshops, you know, everything that we do.
And then we have our Forage Foundations. They assist clubs
if they need anything. They can help provide you know,
funding and things like that that they might need. So yeah,

(07:19):
we're here for the resources and the curriculum and the
project guides and stuff. So it is just incredible. I've
judged projects before too at the fair, and it's so
amazing to see these kids all come in and it's
you know, showcase something that they've learned about, you know,
have things on clouds or photography or art or you
know so and it's just amazing to see and they

(07:41):
share what they've learned, and it's just so incredible to
see what you can actually do.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, it's like a team building thing too a little bit.
This is so cool.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
Now, I'm still a little worried that four each would
let me be a leader now that you're sure, would
it be properly vetted or do.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
You all very serious you're not gonna let me. You're
not gonna let one of my kinds slip on through.
That's probably a good idea.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
But yet at the same time, it's amazing some of
the people that maybe could be intimidated because they don't
want to they don't want to poorly run a club.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
They want to they want to do a.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Great job, and this is a great way for them.
You guys will be able to help them do that
great job. So they can help themselves and the kids too.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
Right, we have monthly leader meetings that they can come
to and it can get resources. Yeah, so the staff
is definitely here. Our program coordinators you know, are there
for them, and the leaders love you know. They make
friends too with other leaders and stuff, so they have
a good time. And then we do also have another
thing coming up. If you're a teen and you want
to learn more leadership skills, we are having our four

(08:49):
Age Team teachers coming up. That'll be October fourteenth, So
that'll be a club that'll meet monthly. In the teens.
What they get trained to help lead programs for youth.
They get a curriculum.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
And doesn't that does it?

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Becky And we're talking to Becky Buckrop from the University
of Illinois Extension. And that's probably a great thing too. Now,
mom and dad leading the club is one thing, but
when young kids there, there's a point where they're kind
of they graduate out of the four h group and
they go to the next level and that's where the Uh,
that would be perfect for younger kids to see a

(09:24):
teen leading them, not that mom and dad are an adult,
isn't It is a bad thing, not at all, but
seeing a teen help that's got to be great for
the kids looking up at that team too.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Yeah, it's great for them to we'll teach them how
to you know, lead a booth or whatever, so they'll
do like activities for youth. And then there's always you know,
some adults there to oh yeah too. But it gives
them the skills because that's so important as you you know,
develop and get older, to know how to interact and
lead a program, especially if you're interested in doing anything
with the youth and being a teacher or leader. So

(09:59):
that's it's a great program.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
And now I love this. I love this next too.

Speaker 2 (10:03):
Now that's coming up on that'll be coming up right
after four each week or the fifth through the eleventh
with the big stuff at the Tractor Supply Company over
there in Moleen. But you've got another big event that's
coming up coming up with and I want you to
explain this Gardening in the Air that sounds like it's
imagination station there.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
What's going on with that right?

Speaker 4 (10:27):
Well, we call it Gardening in the Air because it's
a virtual gardening symposium and it actually kicked off during COVID.
But then everybody's been loving it. We have people from
actually the entire nation that actually sign up for this.
But it's an we combine it with Iowa State University
and it's our horticulture educators from both Illinois Extension and
Iowa State University Extension. And they do workshops online and

(10:52):
it's via zoom and there's nine different workshops that folks
can choose from three sessions per so it start is
October eighteenth. I don't know if I said that. October eighteenth, Saturday,
from nine to noon, and that's called Gardening in the Air.
And yeah, so we have great experts. So one of
them the first session, like nine to ten, they can

(11:13):
do learn about how to dry and press flowers. There's
a guy presenting on on good bugs bad bugs. So
like there's bugs and bees and butterflies are all part.

Speaker 2 (11:23):
Of it, like all things we think that we think
that bugs can creep us out sometimes and they could
be an annoyance, but there are there are some good
and bad in the bug world too, right, how to.

Speaker 4 (11:34):
Learn about you know, yeah, all the things that they are,
the important role they play. We also anybody that has
to maintain their school, you know, football soccer fields and stuff.
We're going to have this professor from Iowa State University.
He's a turf grass specialist. He's going to do one
on how to turf and sports maintenance for those fields.

(11:55):
Then the next sessions are going to be on grasses
and sedges, a lot of you know, beautiful ways to
make natural landscape with some of those.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
And that works for you know, even though we're talking
about the field or how to work on a big
football field or a soccer field, this is sounds like
part of this also can help for our smaller field
or our lawn.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
Right Well, he'll be talking a little bit about the
differences on that like the home lawn and stuff. But
turf is always a huge area for folks. We have
really great turf information on our extension pages and stuff.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
And now with both of these though both of the
well all three of these events. Is there registration or
is the one over attractor supply company? Is that just
kind of a walk up as you're come on in
and everybody will be accepted.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
Yep. That one's ten to far on that Saturday, so
you can just stop by any time in those times.
Then the team that will be the ten teachers. There
is legislation on our page for that, and that'll be
on the four age page, and you can do at
our front page too. I'll have some links there. And
then the Gardening in the Air is also you can

(13:09):
join that on our web page as well in our Facebook.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
And we'll probably as we get a little bit closer
to that one, we'll have Tracy Joe maybe talk to
us too. But that's the beauty of anybody we talk
here with the University of or talked to at the
University of Illinois Extension. Each twenty of you guys are
experts on many fields. You know how to kind of
lead us, lead us over to a certain page, or
at least help give us a little bit of information.

(13:34):
And we're talking to Becky Buckrop right now with the
University of Illinois Extension. So this ought to be great
stuff in October. And of course the beauty of what
you guys do is it's NonStop information. So if anybody
ever needs anything, and this is really we've talked about
it before, you guys are it's like a welcome Matt

(13:54):
to the world. Anybody and everybody can come up and
check out what you've.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Got going on. Or ask a ques question.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
So if they need to find out more on anything
or just the things you guys, you guys and ladies
have going on, where can they find out that information?

Speaker 3 (14:09):
What's the website?

Speaker 4 (14:11):
All right? It is Extension dot Illinois dot ed U,
and then ours is backslash hmrs because our unit serves
Henry Mercer, Rock Island and Stark. But if you google,
you know, University of Illinois Extension or Illini Extension, you're
gonna you're gonna find a web page that'll get you
to us as well. Yes, Extension dot Illinois dot edu

(14:32):
backslash hmrs. And our phone number if anybody needs to call,
is three oh nine seven five six nine nine seven eight.
Then we can also answer questions. Every Wednesday, our master
gardeners are still available too for horticoltzer questions, so they
can find that from nine to noon on Wednesdays through
the middle of October.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
So you guys are ready that as well. You're you're
like a like a convenience store open twenty four to seven.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
Right, Oh yeah, Steve's like it. Our website is for sure,
is it that? And we really appreciate you guys sharing
these because I hope. You know, people take advantage. We're
here for the community and so we appreciate you guys
will helping us get the word out about these because
we don't want to be the best kept secret. We
want to be the one that everybody hears about. And
we appreciate you guys helping us spread the word.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
If you or your organization would like to be featured
on Quad City for them, please visit the contact page
and our station website. Now back to Pat Luke and
Danny Linnhowe.

Speaker 2 (15:31):
Stephen Guarrington from the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities
our guest here today. He also does a lot of
great work with the Quad Cities Disaster Services and the
Salvation Army, But today and most times with our conversations,
it's about the Honor Flight.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
Stephen.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
You just had one go out just to really just
a few hours ago up to DC ended up being
a sixty third Honor flight.

Speaker 3 (15:53):
How did that all go?

Speaker 5 (15:54):
Oh? It went very well. The only problem we had
was the weather did not fully cooperate. But that's okay.
We As we tell our soldiers read it rains, you get.

Speaker 2 (16:04):
Wet, they're ready to go and adapt either way. But
even the one before I thought you had you ended
up having a lot of rain. But yet at the
same time, out of that one, I know there were
people almost like at the drop of a hat or
the drop of a raincoat, they're ready to come along
and try to help out.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
For the vets and the guardians.

Speaker 5 (16:23):
We actually take along some monto for those guys where
it looks like, you know, sixty percent chance of rain
or up, we take along some ponchos and uganize they
have to use them. But this time we did. And
actually we've had the people who have donated some money
so that we can buy some new conchos.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
So we'll touched on another great point here.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
But how many times do you just get donations straight
out just in case. I mean, that's that's what's made
your organization just so successful.

Speaker 5 (16:51):
You know, it's wonderful having people volunteer, sometimes with money
but sometimes with time or we love those volunteers to say,
I want to go along and being with a veteran
for a whole day. I want to listen to all
those stories. I want to write them down, I want
to take this picture.

Speaker 2 (17:06):
Those are great. You know a large majority of the
times that vet is meeting their guardian just maybe a
little bit before and during the flight, but how many
times after the flight the new relationship and the friendship
started back up started.

Speaker 5 (17:22):
Is that's a real great thing. And somebody who's going
along never met him before. Hey, all the stories are new,
he said, I can go back and tell all the
stories that my wife doesn't want to hear again, and
I can tell them all this guy. I'm gonna have
a great time. I can tell them how I won

(17:43):
the war by myself.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
You know. I mean, it's that bonding experience that happens,
and it all starts in a lot of different ways.
I know, the one h just recently completed that the
pre dinner celebration is such a great thing that you've had,
at least the last couple of times that's been over
at the waterfront. But it's such a great way for
everybody to kind of get excited for the next flight.

Speaker 5 (18:06):
Well that that is a special thing, but it is.
It's not us to do the dinner. Actually, it's it's
the IV that does the dinner. Oh okay, And Heiden
just says, once a year, we want to come in
and just do a dinner. So they choose a date
and we stay fine. If you want to do a dinner,
you know you want to go.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
All the work you do, it isn't that amazing? Stephen,
As we're talking to Stephen Garrington from the Honor Flight,
how Hive has taken taken over and really tried to
support in so many different ways. But they're not the
only ones that pull this kind of stuff off.

Speaker 5 (18:39):
We have a group of ladies who who get together
and they say, we want to make a little packet
of things for the guys to take with them, and
it's a pencil and a pad of paper and gum
and candy and some pencil of love, do a rubbing
on Vietnam wall, these ways, just do just make a
little pack it up, little diplock bag, a little note

(19:00):
saying we like you. When they do that for each flight,
they just want to do it because it's about the veteran.
It's not about auto flight, it's not about HIV, it's
not about all the other people. It's about the veteran.
And that's what that's what we're looking at. We want
to make it special for that veteran.

Speaker 2 (19:16):
And even though we talk about how there's a lot
of guys that are a part of this, maybe overwhelmingly
a lot.

Speaker 3 (19:22):
Of guys involved.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
Their women are if they're veterans, they're welcome to go
on this flight too. Does that do you feel like
some women feel like they're not they're not being invited,
or do you feel like they're being excluded or they
just don't want to go in the flight because they're
going to let the guys go first.

Speaker 5 (19:38):
We had two on the last light, Jaby. How many
we got going on the next flight, Three on the
next flight going up, And we always stop at the
women's memorial. We want to make it a little special
because they were great. We know every veteran is special,
but the ladies that helped out, who were in administration
or in radio, or in nursing or in some other way.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
It was surprising you had a World War Two vet
that went out on this last flight. So the whole
as things move forward here when we talk about priorities,
you end up having World War two vets, And then
how do we rank them?

Speaker 5 (20:14):
All three groups that we put to the front of
the line, right, Otherwise it's like when you put in
your application. But of course, the World War Two, the
Korean Vets, and there once in a while we have
somebody who is let's say they don't have long to
be on us, or put them to the front of
the line too. It usually usually we have a doctor
call us and say this guy needs to go now,

(20:35):
anybody else Right now we're saying nineteen seventy five, and
we would probably say nineteen eighty little or nineteen eighty
five a little later on, as sooner or later we'll
get to those guys who are in Afghanistan or Iraq
and Kuwait and all the other places as well.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
And like you've said in the past, most Vets, even
though they are interested, a lot of times they don't
want any fanfare. This is a chance for them to
have this spotlight. However, they want to customize it. The
spotlights on them. And sometimes maybe that'll take some other
family member to say, hey, they want to suggest that
they go, because most of the Vets seem like they,

(21:10):
oh no, no, take somebody else, I'm not worthy.

Speaker 5 (21:13):
They are probably the most humble group you'll ever meet, exactly,
and they will do that. It's just wonderful. But if
you want to if you want to see something spectacular
as they're coming as they're leaving the airplane and coming
out of security and coming into the people cheering them.
Look at those faces and it will tell you all

(21:34):
you need to know. Those there are smiles, and there
are tears, and they're they're just overwhelmed with with gratitude,
with the gratitude of the community. That is that is
a special, special time. And I try to look at
every face of every guy that comes back and and
see and see that, and they say, well, thank you,

(21:57):
this is really great and are combat to come back?
Is You're worth it? You are worth it.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
We are talking to Stephen Garrington of the Honor Flight
of the Quad Cities Honor Flight QC dot org to
find out more. That's Honor Flight QC dot org. Now, Steven,
we've had how many honor flights or we had talked
about it earlier, the sixty third. We're gonna have another
one coming out next month. More on that in a minute.
But when it first started, when it first started, uh,

(22:26):
did you think it would grow into what it is?

Speaker 5 (22:31):
When it first started in two thousand and eight, we
thought we were going to do one flight, right, Yeah,
that was it, just one. Bob Morrison was the head
of the honor flight at that time, and he and
I and twelve others got together and we said, what
do we Let's see if we can raise enough money
to do one flight, and we said, just in near

(22:53):
the end, wet money started coming in and we at
the end of the first flight, we had enough money
to pay for the flight and a little bit more over.
And Uh, Bob looked at me and he said, I
think we got to try a second flight. Okay, let's
go ahead and do that. We'll do that next next spring. Okay,
we'll try another flight. And we just kept on going
and kept on going, and well they're still going.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
And we had this year, we had not one, not two,
but you had four.

Speaker 5 (23:19):
Or we'll have three this year. Three this year, I
thought it was four. Yep, I think we had three. Uh,
we were going to have four, but we had a
little problem with getting buses for one of the flights,
so we had to move it.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
But that's still fairly good going from hey, I think
we can pull this off once to now you're in
your sixties.

Speaker 5 (23:40):
Yeah, that we think. We feel we were very good
about that, and uh, and of course it's takes so
many many people to make this happen.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (23:53):
Yeah, we have our board, but we have so many
extra volunteers and they're out and they're helping out in
so many ways. They're making phone call, they're helping the
guys get ready for moving chairs. We have people who
are just wonderful volunteers and help us out. And we
couldn't do it without the probably one hundred and fifty
volunteers that we have that work with us here.

Speaker 2 (24:14):
Now we have a flight again, we're going to have
one next month, and we're hoping here at the radio
station at sometime soon, maybe next month, we're going to
be able to have one of us be a part
of this whole thing. But that'll be a great perspective too.

Speaker 5 (24:30):
That would be great. It would be really good that
at least get the bets would have a chance to
see what somebody looks like.

Speaker 3 (24:39):
Well, we don't know if that's always a good thing there, Stevens.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
It's a little bit of a shocker, but it's also
just that perspective. And as we move forward for the
next flight and the ones after that, certainly we need guardians.

Speaker 3 (24:53):
And even though we have.

Speaker 2 (24:55):
A large stable of people that want to help and
we'll go back again, we could always grow the number
of people that want to be guardians.

Speaker 5 (25:02):
We do need guardians and people who say because sometimes
the guy says, well I want to be a guardian.
Oh I can't that day, Well we need somebody to
back him up. We need guardians to back them up.
And so that and it is the best job in
the whole wide world to be a guardian. It's well
well worth your time, getting a day off, taking a

(25:26):
day vacation and being a guardian. That is that is
well worth it. We do have people from all walks
of life who come become guardians, some veteran or some veterans.
Some are doctors and nurses, We have teachers, we have
real estate agents. People from all walks of life say
I want to be a guardian. I want to be
with those people.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
And for some of those people that started, maybe it's
taken them a while to have things work out. How
many of those people once they help one time where
they end up being a guardian once? How many times
do you find that you just can't get rid of
them because they want to They want to be a
part of everything they do.

Speaker 5 (26:04):
It's so very very often they come back and they
say can I fill out another application? Sure you may,
and they did you know that was just so special
to me.

Speaker 2 (26:15):
Well, that must show the great work that you're doing,
because things have come along way from two thousand and eight,
and yet it's a finely oiled machine. But it still
needs people on the other side to make it work.
For people that are not aware of the Honor Flight,
no cost for the vets, but there is a cost
for the guardians, and that in a way is helping

(26:36):
us make sure that we can pay.

Speaker 3 (26:37):
For the vets.

Speaker 5 (26:38):
Absolutely, they really they pay a little bit. And then
of course we have so many people who donate in
other ways that that helps this light go by. And
again everything for the veterans are free. We don't want them,
we want We tell the veterans to leave your money
and your credit card with your wife and that's punishment enough.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
We'll see what happens when you get back. But for
the for people that need to find out more on
what it's going to take to be a guardian, can
they go to the website or would it be better
to call somebody from Honor Flight just to get a
little bit more of an idea.

Speaker 5 (27:18):
It's very easy, especially if you have a printer on
your computer to go to Honor Flights youseee dot org
and go to applications, then print it out right site
writes and amen and send it to us. And the
address is on the back. It's over at rich Crestvilly
to what we get the mail.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
Honor Flight qc dot org can work too, And for
people that want to be a part of it, we
not only know that guardians are always going to be
welcome to be a part of it, but also the
day of the flight, maybe in the morning you'll still
see people there, but most of this stuff starts to
happen so early. The big thing to be is at

(27:57):
the airport, the Quad City International Airport, at the end
of the day to welcome everybody back.

Speaker 5 (28:02):
Oh yeah, that is the great thing. And this last
time we just had a wonderful crowd out. Of course,
the parking was free thanks to the airport. They said, yeah,
they just opened the gates to let people go out,
and that was great. It's not in the morning, but
it is in the evening. But we all we had

(28:23):
a great time there and people were cheering. There were signs,
there were kids who were out there waving flags. It
was just a really fantastic they really fantastic time.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
Okay, so next month or really depending on when this
interview airs, it could be this month. But when's the
next date so people can start and are we filled
up on that one.

Speaker 5 (28:46):
The twenty eighth of October. Right now, we're getting pretty
much or full up or full up for the October
and so that doesn't mean it shouldn't put in an
application exactly you can tell what will happen. Yeah, we're
full up right now, but we've still got a couple
three for at least three flights we're going to do
next year, so we'll we'll need people for that as well.

(29:09):
So and we all veterans, We need any veteran that's
out there, but we need the guardians as well.

Speaker 3 (29:15):
And remember the real ID.

Speaker 5 (29:17):
It's very important that they remember it and that they
bring it along with them.

Speaker 3 (29:21):
And as we wrap up our Quad City Forum this morning.

Speaker 6 (29:23):
Join the benefit in support of Nick Watson Saturday, September
twenty seventh, four to seven pm at the Scherard Fire Department.
It's an evening of food, raffles, games and more as
we come together to support Nick.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
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