FAIRHOPE, Ala. — A nonprofit group that honors veterans by flying them free of charge to Washington D.C. to visit memorials and attend ceremonies to commemorate their military service received an early Christmas present this year.

On Monday, the Fairhope Single Tax Corp. donated $10,000 to Honor Flight South Alabama to support that group’s programs.

“We have so many members and lessees who are veterans,” said Larry Thomas, FSTC president. “Nearly everyone on our board grew up surrounded by family and friends from this remarkable (World War II) generation that has had such a lasting impact on all our lives. We wanted to share our appreciation with those remaining veterans from this era.”

Thomas presented the check Monday in the FSTC offices to Barry Booth, a Vietnam veteran and local dentist, who leads the Honor Flight South Alabama program.

“I accept this contribution on behalf of the Honor Flight Committee, the Honor Flight guardians, the volunteers and all the veterans we serve and honor,” Booth said.

The first flight next year is scheduled for May, and the places on board fill up quickly, he said. Although the veterans ride for free, they can be accompanied by friends, family and volunteers as Honor Flight Guardians, who pay for their tickets.

“Honor Flight has a first-come, first-served policy, so we’re encouraging eligible veterans in Fairhope and the surrounding area to sign up as soon as they can,” Thomas said.

Forms for the program are available in the FSTC offices, he said.

The idea for the donation originated with the FSTC education committee, Thomas said.

“We had $5,000 left over from our budget and told the (FSTC) board that we’d like to give that to Honor Flight,” said Don Buell, the education committee chairman.

Thomas said the board quickly endorsed the idea and decided to match that amount with another $5,000 for a total contribution of $10,000.

“There are no paid staff,” Thomas said of Honor Flight South Alabama. “We know that the amount we contribute goes to the veterans themselves. It’s such a great program.”

During Monday’s meeting when Booth received the check from the FSTC, he got emotional several times when speaking about the impact of the trips on some veterans who participate in the program.

“It puts a spark in their lives and a quickness back in their steps,” Booth said. “It’s just a magnificent thing they did, to put their lives on hold and do what they had to do, to allow us now to live our dreams.”

Booth said he appreciated the donation from the FSTC and especially because it came first from that group’s education committee. He said that Honor Flight South Alabama has a close relationship with the Baldwin County School System and that 40 out of 56 schools in the county have participated in some way to support the program.

“Many students wrote personalized cards and letters to the veterans this year,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many of them came out to the airport to greet the veterans on their return.”

For more information, contact the Fairhope Single Tax Corp. at 336 Fairhope Ave., or call 928-8162.