Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

The Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation presented a check for $4,000 to Sharon Zacharias, Director of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, and Captain T.D. Smyers, Base Commander, at the Naval Air Station - Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth on November 29th.  The donation is the first given to the non-profit by the Foundation and represents a part of the proceeds from the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Air Show held on July 3rd and other fundraising events during 2010.  The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is a more than 100 year old private non-profit which supports unmet needs of military and veterans of those services and their eligible family members and survivors.   In addition to assistance with medical needs such as its Combat Casualty Assistance Visiting Nurse Program, the Society provides financial and educational resources including loans and counseling to enable the Navy and Marine Corps families to achieve financial self-sufficiency and to meet emergency needs.  The Society enjoys significant assistance from military commanders and other military personnel and offices are generally located at Navy or Marine Corps facilities such as the Naval Air Station - Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth.

Bob O’Neil President of the Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation said, “We are thrilled that our volunteer efforts are able to make a significant contribution to such a worthwhile cause and very grateful to all of our supporters especially our fellow residents and the management of the Pinnacle Club.”  Joining Bob at the presentation were Randy Ball, Karen Boyd, Patty Evans, Mark Fankhauser, Gary Freer, Gayle Robinson and Linda Thompson, some of the officers and board members of the Foundation. 

The Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation was established in 2009 by some residents of the Pinnacle Club in Mabank on Cedar Creek Lake to raise money for well-established non-profits providing support services to military and veterans and their families particularly those from East Texas who were injured in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The signature event of the Foundation is the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Air Show over 4th of July weekend which was viewed by over 50,000 people.  The air show was started several years ago by Board member and MiG-17 owner and pilot Randy Ball and is one of very few shows performed over water.  In addition to the MiG–17, prior shows have featured an F-16 demonstration team, C–17, the Tora Tora Tora group, C–130,  an L-29, B-52 bomber, three of only about a dozen B-25’s still flying and many others.  Although the Foundation relies primarily on donations, last spring it also held a fundraising gala dinner and dance, “From Texas to Tinseltown,” and a golf tournament with celebrity guest actor Jae Head, who played SJ Tuohy in the movie “The Blind Side.”

The 2011 Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Air Show will be held on Saturday, July 2, 2011 starting at 6 pm and a benefit golf tournament will take place at Pinnacle Club on Monday, May 23, 2011.  For more information or to donate contact Bob O’Neil, CCVF President, at 903-681-4546 or go to the CCVF website at www.ccveteransfoundation.org or www.tocclairshow.com .  The CCVF is a 501(c)(3) organization.