Seven-year-old Alan Landers loves his super heroes. “I don’t
really have a favorite. I like them all,” he said. Linda Landers, Alan’s mom, is a self-described “Army brat” having grown up with a father who served in the military. Alan’s stepmom and Linda’s wife, D. J. Trantham, is an Army veteran, having served overseas in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. So, it’s no surprise that the entire family, including Alan’s
older brother, 10-year-old Aaron and their therapy dog Nettles, are volunteers with Honor Flight of West Central Florida. They are part of the Welcome Home Celebrations for the Veterans, cheering them upon their return. A real hero’s welcome. “I get to shake a World War II veteran’s hand and say thank you. That’s pretty cool,” said Alan. When Nettles is wearing her therapy dog vest, she knows
she is working. During one of the Welcome Home Celebrations, Alan watched while Nettles interacted with the
posed. He was engaging, yet very humble. “We are able to accomplish this with a lot of people
supporting a lot of people,” said Alan. Through social media, they have reached folks who have donated from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio. “I am very proud of my brother, and love him very much,”
said Aaron, who came dressed in a camouflage morph suit. About 50 people dressed in super hero costumes, arrived at
Freedom Lake Park in Pinellas County on October 4 to walk around the lake for Alan’s Super Hero Fun Run. By the end of the walk, Alan learned that more than $7,200 had been raised, including $1,200 from the American Legion of Gulfport and $3,000 from the Florida West Coast Funeral Professionals Association. “Yep. We crushed our goal of going over $3,000. That makes me feel pretty good,” said Alan.U
(Left to right): The WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. honors the 16 million who served and the more than 400,000 who died.
Mary B. Archie, animal advocate and volunteer guardian, travels to Washington, D.C. with a veteran, and escorts them throughout the day. Volunteers pay for their own airfare and other expenses. Here, Mary is shown with WWII veteran Frank Coppla, 90 years young and his wife, Millie. Eric Cahill and Steve Miller present a $3,000 check to Alan from the Florida West Coast Funeral Professionals Association.
(Below): Dressed as Super Heroes for the Super Hero Fun Run are (left to right) Nettles, the therapy dog, D.J. Trantham, Alan, Linda and Aaron.
veterans, oftentimes sitting on their laps, helping to calm them. He wondered what more he could do for these men and woman, realizing at that moment that they were his true super heroes. His answer came in 2013 as a student in a first-grade gift-
ed class at St. Petersburg’s New Heights Elementary School. Given a community service assignment, Alan realized this was an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for Honor Flight West Central Florida so that more veterans could make the D.C. trip. He created his first Super Hero Fun Run, raising $3,000 in
the process, providing the opportunity of a lifetime for eight veterans. This year, Alan’s goal was simply to “crush” last year’s fundraising efforts, but he would be happy just to exceed the $3,000. With the help of his moms and brother, he created and distributed fliers and posters. They rallied participants via social and traditional local media, encouraging donations, asking run- ners to come out dressed in their favorite super hero costumes, and to bring their dogs. Alan has the soul of a well-seasoned, spirited older human
being. He has the poise and articulation of a corporate CEO. And his enthusiasm is contagious. When Alan spoke, you better believe, everyone in the crowd was listening, and smiling. During our interview, he was thoughtful with every question
www.TheNewBarker.com
Z
For more information on how to volunteer and/or donate, email Honor Flight West Central Florida at
info@HonorFlightWCF.org or call April Dennis at
727.498.6079. There are hubs in Naples/Fort Myers, Orlando, Plantation, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, Bradenton and Lake Lady. To locate a hub near you, visit
HonorFlight.org and clink onto Regional Hubs. Service and Therapy Dogs are encouraged to attend the Welcome Home Celebrations.
Winter ~ 2014/15 THE NEW BARKER 29
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