Nonprofit sends hundreds of troops home for holidays

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Daniel Sharp

Cue the waterworks. It’s that time of year for videos of troops reuniting with families, and they always hit the heartstrings. One 501(c) nonprofit has sent hundreds of our service members home to their loved ones. Holidays For The Heroes is 100% volunteer based, and 100% of donations go directly to purchasing tickets.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This! This! This! <br><br>One of the 118 family reunions you all helped make happen!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/navy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#navy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/army?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#army</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/airforce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#airforce</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coastguard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coastguard</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marines?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Marines</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/homefortheholidays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#homefortheholidays</a> <a href="https://t.co/N5XK1MSdq1">pic.twitter.com/N5XK1MSdq1</a></p>&mdash; Holidays for Heroes (@heroes_holidays) <a href="https://twitter.com/heroes_holidays/status/1341421709690249220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Founder, Ed Roshitsh, is an Air Force Veteran who made it his mission to give back. After many years of various charitable endeavors, he took aim at buying plane tickets for service members who couldn’t afford to go home.

Sometimes, tickets from distant or remote bases can be  very expensive, even if only flying into major hubs. If the trip requires an additional leg, to an airport closer to a small town or home of record, they can be thousands of dollars.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNavy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hero?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hero</a> surprising her mom at work for Christmas! This is what our nearly 200 donors made happen in 2020! <a href="https://t.co/FeY9OAzmHy">pic.twitter.com/FeY9OAzmHy</a></p>&mdash; Holidays for Heroes (@heroes_holidays) <a href="https://twitter.com/heroes_holidays/status/1345875585042579457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ed posted on his social networks asking for other to join him in buying holiday tickets, and the response was overwhelming. He then formed the nonprofit Holidays For The Heroes, and was able to send 60 troops home the first year. The second year they sent 120 people home, and now in year three, they have already bought 80 tickets.

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