Golf tournament to honor Wisconsin’s veterans

The public is invited attend or sponsor the Spirit of Wisconsin golf tournament to help raise funds for Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation (AADF), a nonprofit organization that honors senior veterans from all branches of the military with a dream flight in a historic Boeing Stearman biplane. The inaugural golf event is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20, 2017, at the SentryWorld golf course, 601 N. Michigan Ave., Stevens Point, Wisc. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

The registration fee is $150 per golfer and includes all golf fees for the 18-hole course including golf cart, lunch and dinner. Sponsorship opportunities are available: in addition to hole sponsorships, there are a limited number sponsorships that allows the logo of a donating company to be placed on the biplane. The dinner-only fee is $40 and includes the awards banquet; special raffle prizes and raffle opportunities are available during dinner.

The goal is to raise $125,000, which would be used to help purchase an additional aircraft, named the Spirit of Wisconsin, to better serve the growing veteran population in America’s heartland; it will be based at Stevens Municipal Airport, 4501 State Highway 66.

“A Wisconsin-based aircraft will allow us to better serve and honor the veterans living in this region of the country,” said Darryl Fisher, founder and president of AADF. “We appreciate and count on the support of individuals and corporations to help us fulfill our mission to give back to those who have served our nation. We couldn’t do this without them.”

AADF depends on sponsorships, grants, and personal and corporate donations to operate the foundation and maintain the three biplanes. Sport Clips Haircuts, a sports-themed haircutting franchise that specializes in haircuts for men and boys, is AADF’s major sponsor. In addition to the Spirit of Wisconsin, AADF is also raising funds to add a fifth biplane to its fleet, the Spirit of San Antonio, which will serve the southwest United States.

David Lamken, chairperson for the Spirit of Wisconsin golf event, said he was inspired to support AADF in its quest to purchase a biplane after his father, a World War II veteran, was honored with a dream flight at Stevens Point Municipal Airport last year. “The big smile, tears of happiness and overall joy my father displayed when he landed were things I will remember forever,” Lamken explained.

For more information, contact David Lamken, Spirit of Wisconsin golf event chairperson, at 608-334-5760 or aadflamken@charter.net. Registration and information on sponsorship opportunities can be found online at Spirit of Wisconsin Golf Outing Registration. Individual contributions can be made via the GoFundMe page; search keywords Spirit of Wisconsin (https://www.gofundme.com/hkb7c-spirit-of-wisconsin).

Following the golf outing on June 20, AADF will honor local military veterans with three dream flight events: The Stevens Point Fly-In on June 21 at Stevens Point Municipal Airport, 4501 State Highway 66, the Waupaca Fly-In on June 22 at Waupaca Municipal Airport, 2601 Runway Drive, and the Waukesha Fly-In on June 23 at Waukesha County Airport, 2525 Aviation Road, Waukesha. The public is welcome to attend, as well as sponsor dream flyers with a donation that will be used to support the purchase of the Spirit of Wisconsin. For more information, contact David Lamken at (608) 334-5760 or aadflamken@charter.net.

Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation is a Carson City, Nevada-based, nonprofit organization established in 2011. It is dedicated to honoring senior veterans from all U.S. branches by providing free dream flights in one of three fully restored Boeing Stearman biplanes, the same aircraft many military aviators trained in during World War II. AADF’s mission is “Giving back to those who have given.” To learn more or to apply for a dream flight, visit www.agelessaviationdreams.org.