Seniors Fundraiser Takes Flight

Jack Driscoll (left), 89, and Ted Hall (right), 77, paid tribute to the Greatest Generation who served the US during the Second World War by presenting a donation of $171 from The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming's Open Roads Seniors Program to the National Warplane Museum.  The money helped to pay for fuel in the "Return to Normandy Project," which launched May 15th in Geneseo, and reached the skies over the Normandy region of France 16 days later.

The successful mission of the Return to Normandy Project was to return the museum's flagship Douglas C-47 to France for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The "Whiskey 7," affectionately known by her distinctive squadron marking, was the lead ship of the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron, dropping elements of the 82nd Airborne Division near St. Mere Eglise, France in the early hours of June 6th, 1944.

Seventy years later, Whiskey 7 participated in the anniversary commemorations by dropping members of the Liberty Jump Team over the original D-Day drop zones.  Ted says that it was an honor for Seniors to play a small part in an event to honor World War II veterans.

"There is a lot of rich history in this area, and the National Warplane Museum is one example," he explains.  "It serves as a reminder of the brave people who have fought over the years to preserve our freedom.  We owe a lot to them, and we are glad to give back in our own small way." 

The Seniors group raised its contribution through an ice cream social held at various Arc locations on Tuesday, May 6th.  In total, 57 bowls of ice cream were consumed at a cost of $3 per bowl in their one-of-a-kind “ice cream for fuel” effort.