Celebrating our heroes!!
By Melissa Sullivan, Contributing Writer
The founders of The Heroes Operation, a 501c3 a non-profit organization had a “deep desire to help the men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe and free”. So, they created the organization to honors veterans and first responders. The mission: to help give them back just a little of what they give to us, “They sacrifice their time, blood, sweat, tears, and often their lives.”
One of the most popular events they host each year is Heroes on the Dunes held at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Mears, Michigan. This two-day event is designed to be a day of fellowship, fun and food for heroes and their families. The event will start off with a Friday golf outing at the beautiful Benona Shores Golf Course, followed by a dune day at Silver Lake ORV Park Saturday July 15th, 2023.
The 3rd weekend in July is the annual dune day at Silver Lake and the day they honor our Heroes! Everything starts with a flag raising ceremony and flyover by Hooligan flight team. The rest of the afternoon heroes get the opportunity to ride some of the coolest and fastest ORVs. ORV Owners register to volunteer open seats to heroes and give them a thrilling ride! For many of them this is something they would never experience without the event, but some heroes do bring their own toys to rip the dunes they’ve ridden many times.
The event is more than just a good time, it is a great opportunity to honor veterans and first responders and interact with them during the festivities. The day on the dunes is followed by dinner and entertainment, raffles, silent auctions, and recognition to fallen heroes. If you are a veteran, active-duty military, first responder of the family of a hero, I encourage you to attend this event. Even attending as a civilian just to honor and support, I promise this is an event you will remember.
The event is designed to bring a day of fun and relaxation to heroes. The members of the organization have themselves discovered the amazing freedom of being behind the wheel and they want to share that powerful feeling with the heroes that they meet. They work to fundraise and work with donors and communities to do this at little to no cost to the hero. It’s an opportunity for the volunteer/driver to look over and see a hero smiling and laughing with the wind blowing through their hair. It’s an opportunity for our heroes to be honored in a unique way without being “put on the spot”. Not a care in the world for a moment, just feeling the adrenaline rush as the wind whips past and they reach the top of test hill!
Seeing a community come together to make such amazing things happen is beautiful. And you can expect to experience many inspiring events when you are with The Hereos Operation. I had the opportunity to watch a crowd fall silent as a veteran, now blind, got behind the wheel of a RZR and drove on his own for the first time in six years, at another event they host annually in St. Helen, Mi . After the first lap was made around the bowl the cheers could be heard all the way at dunes in Mears. Everyone leaves these events feeling proud. Proud of our heroes, proud of what they participated in and most importantly proud to be an American!
There are many ways that you can get involved with this event:
• You can register online to participate in the Golf Outing Friday, July 14, 2023 full of fun including, 50/50 Raffle, Prizes, Featuring 517 Golf and $1,000 Hole In One Shootout!
• Register to be a volunteer at the event.
• Donate to the Heroes Operation to help support the event.
To learn more about the organization or register to attend of volunteer at the event please visit them online at www.theheroesoperation.org