named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Guardian Program
Recruits and trains guardians—family members or volunteers—who accompany veterans on flights, ensuring their safety and comfort; guardians pay $500 to offset costs.
Honor Flight Missions
Organizes round-trip flights for veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit war memorials, including transportation, meals, and medical support; missions are named sequentially (e.g., Mission 38, Mission 40).
Youth Guardian Program
Engages high school seniors and young veterans as guardians for older veterans, providing training and a structured intergenerational experience during Honor Flights.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Honor Flight Missions for Veterans 5 activities
- Offers priority access to Honor Flights for specific veteran groupsGrants priority flight access to World War II veterans and terminally ill veterans from any era, while currently focusing on Vietnam and Cold War era veterans for participation in upcoming missions like Mission 40 in 2026.
- Organizes free flights for veterans to visit Washington, D.C. memorialsPlans and operates cost-free flights for veterans to visit their war memorials in Washington, D.C., providing transportation, food, and guided visits. The organization conducts multiple annual missions, such as Mission 38 which transported 83 veterans, and plans future missions like Mission 40 to transport approximately 3,000 veterans from Stewart International Airport in 2026.
- Provides guardian training for Honor Flight missionsConducts training seminars for individuals serving as guardians on Honor Flight missions to prepare them for their support roles during flights.
- Provides individualized veteran support during Honor Flight missionsEnsures each veteran receives one-on-one assistance during travel and memorial visits by pairing them with a guardian. Guardians provide physical support during airport transit, flights, and at memorials, with specialized attention for elderly and terminally ill veterans.
- Provides transportation logistics for Honor Flight missionsArranges transportation for veterans to and from rally points and airports on flight days, ensuring seamless travel coordination as part of the mission logistics.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Conducts outreach and community engagement for veteran participationEngages in outreach efforts to identify eligible veterans and inform them about the Honor Flight program through community events and communications.
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Benefit Events for Arts and Culture 1 activity
- Hosts fundraising events to support Honor Flight operationsOrganizes fundraising events, such as one held at a New York Boulders baseball game, to generate financial support for the organization’s mission and flight operations.
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Intergenerational Connection Programs 1 activity
- Operates a Youth Guardian Program for intergenerational veteran supportRuns a program that pairs high school seniors and young veterans with older veterans during Honor Flight missions, fostering mentorship and support across generations.
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Memorial and Veteran Honor Services 1 activity
- Organizes pre-flight and welcome home events for veteransHosts meet-and-greet, send-off, and welcome home ceremonies for veterans on flight days and throughout the year to honor their service and provide a public recognition experience.
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Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
- Secures financial support through guardian paymentsRequires guardians to pay $500 per person to cover their own costs, which subsidizes the overall flight expenses and enables free participation for veterans.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$596K
Contributions & grants$600K101%
Program service revenue$1K0%
Investment income$5K1%
Other revenue$-10K
expenses
Total expenses$566K
Program expenses96%
Admin / overhead3%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$76K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$864K
Cash$864K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$864K
Liquid reserves18.3 mo
2 years on record · 2020–2023 · YoY revenue +336.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JENNIFER DEFRANCESCO | EXECUTIVE DI | 40 | $69K |
board members · 17
- CAROL SMITH — ACTING CHAIR
- CHESTER EDWARDS — DIRECTOR
- EVERETT COLLIE — DIRECTOR
- FRANK KIMLER — CHAIRMAN - U
- HEATHER BELL — DIRECTOR
- KEVIN GREEN — DIRECTOR
- LOUIS INGRASSIA — DIRECTOR
- MARGARET BROCCOLI — DIRECTOR
- MARIANNE SCHMIDT — DIRECTOR
- MARTIN BUTCHER — DIRECTOR
- MICHAEL SNYDER — DIRECTOR
- MONICA WAITE — TREASURER
- PATRICIA MAHER — DIRECTOR
- REBECCA MAHER — SECRETARY
- RICHARD CALBO — DIRECTOR
- THOMAS WALRAVEN — DIRECTOR
- WILLIAM SESTROM — DIRECTOR
relationships · 10
Who they work with
- Clover Stadium Partner — Hosts fundraising events in partnership with Hudson Valley Honor Flight.
- HVHF Network — Member of the Honor Flight Network, as indicated by use of HVHF branding and flight-day breakdown documentation.
- National Honor Flight Network Network — Local hub of the National Honor Flight Network, part of a national network of over 100 independent nonprofit hubs.
- New York Boulders Partner — Collaborates with the New York Boulders to host a fundraising event at Clover Stadium.
- OC Legion Riders Partner — Collaborates with Hudson Valley Honor Flight to identify, vet, and fund youth guardians for Honor Flight missions.
- Orange County American Legion Partner — Collaborates with Hudson Valley Honor Flight to identify, vet, and fund youth guardians for Honor Flight missions.
- ShopRite Partner — Primary corporate sponsor providing financial support for Honor Flight operations.
- Tamitha Brown Partner — Daughter of veteran Art Flynn who served as his personal guardian during Mission 38.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Government — Complies with federal identification requirements for domestic air travel, including REAL ID standards.
- Yahoo News Partner — Co-published or shared content about a Medal of Honor recipient's repatriation.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Honor Through Fully Funded Memorial Travelmethodology: honor-through-travelBy providing cost-free travel to Washington, D.C. memorials, the organization honors veterans' service and sacrifices, because removing financial and logistical barriers enables meaningful recognition and emotional closure for aging and terminally ill veterans.
- Intergenerational Guardian-Veteran Pairing Modelmethodology: intergenerational-leadership-transferBy pairing veterans with younger guardians across generations, the organization enhances both veteran support and civic engagement, because intergenerational relationships foster mutual respect, ensure physical assistance during travel, and promote lasting mentorship and leadership transfer.
- Story Preservation as Honormethodology: story_preservationBy preserving and sharing veterans’ personal service stories, the organization deepens the impact of recognition, because narrative documentation transforms individual sacrifice into lasting public memory and emotional validation.