Honor Flight Long Island Gala Features LI Poet Laureate

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — After a two-year pandemic pause, Honor Flight Long Island, an organization that changes lives and fills hearts by bringing veterans to Washington, DC, is once again taking flight.

An upcoming gala fundraiser has been organized to support the resumption of flight operations; the gala features guest of honor and Glen Cove native Evelyn Kandel, the Nassau County Poet Laureate and former United States Marine Corps sergeant.

The "Listen to the Wind" gala takes place on Saturday, July 16 from at 5 p.m. at the Sagaponack Farm Distillery, located at 369 Sagg Road in Sagaponack.

The mission of Honor Flight Long Island, founded by Chris Cosich, is to honor veterans by providing free, one-day flights "so aging heroes can visit their D.C. memorials before it is too late," a release said.

The gala was dubbed "Listen to the Wind" after a Kandel poem.

“Our urgent call to patriotic Long Islanders is to help Honor Flight strengthen our mission going forward,” said William Donahue of HFLI’s Board. “Honor Flight gives our veterans opportunities to contemplate their military memorials, commiserate with fellow veterans and exchange personal stories. No one else does this. These flights are a ‘Big Hug’ to veterans from our supporters and volunteers who make it all happen.”

To purchase tickets, donate to Honor Flight Long Island, or watch a sponsor video, click here. For direct $250 ticket sales, click here. To become a major sponsor, call William Donahue at 631-745-7703 or email Wdap04@gmail.com.

After graduating high school, Kandel was one of the first women to enlist in the USMC. She served in public relations as spokeswoman for Women Marines in Washington D.C. and with USMC recruiters in California. She was a poster model and a commemorative stamp model for service recruitment. After discharge, she received a Masters Degree from Columbia University on the GI bill. She married, raised a family, became a teacher and is a noted artist and poet.