Operation Roll Call Raises Nearly $49,000 for Honor Flights
The Veterans Day phone-a-thon, run with 25News, funds future trips for local veterans to Washington, D.C.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Volunteers answered donation calls from viewers across Central Illinois during the Operation Roll Call phone-a-thon held Wednesday night on Veterans Day. The fundraiser, a partnership between 25News and Greater Peoria Honor Flight, brought in nearly $49,000.
Why it matters
The money will help cover the cost of sending local veterans to Washington, D.C., next year. About 400 veterans are currently on the waiting list for a future flight.
The phone-a-thon raised nearly $49,000 in a single evening, measured against a backlog of about 400 veterans waiting for a future flight. The source does not say how many veterans the proceeds will ultimately fund or how the total compares with earlier campaigns.
The players
Greater Peoria Honor Flight
A Peoria-based nonprofit that organizes trips taking local veterans to visit memorials in Washington, D.C.
25News
A Central Illinois television station that partnered with Honor Flight to run the annual Operation Roll Call phone-a-thon.
The details
Volunteers answered calls from viewers across Central Illinois during the annual Operation Roll Call phone-a-thon, which 25News ran in partnership with Greater Peoria Honor Flight. The proceeds support future flights that take local veterans to Washington, D.C.
Timeline
Veterans Day (November 11, 2026): annual Operation Roll Call phone-a-thon held Wednesday night.
November 17, 2026: next Greater Peoria Honor Flight scheduled to depart.
2027: donated funds will cover veterans' trips to Washington, D.C.
Philanthropy Pattern
This year's Operation Roll Call total continues the annual 25News and Greater Peoria Honor Flight phone-a-thon, which funds the organization's flights of local veterans to Washington, D.C. The stub gives no earlier totals, so the comparison to prior years cannot be drawn.
Donations from this campaign will pay for future trips that send local veterans to Washington, D.C., at no cost to the veterans. Residents who want to support future flights can contribute to the organization that runs them.
The takeaway
Community fundraising drives like Operation Roll Call show how a single broadcast evening can move money toward a long waiting list. Readers who want to help can follow local veterans' organizations directly.
What happens next
The next Greater Peoria Honor Flight is scheduled to depart November 17, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage to see how charitable drives like this one fund community programs.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 25newsnow.
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