Reckless With Red
What is Reckless with Red?
We get patriotic citizens to jump out of perfectly good airplanes to raise money for Long Island Veteran Health Programs.
- Reckless with Red is a grassroots charity foundation in which both civilians and veterans skydive to raise funds for our 501(c)3 organization.
- The jump honors one of our beloved friends and heroes John “Red” Pelan who recently left us. John “Red” Pelan served as a combat paratrooper in the 187th Airborne division during the Korean War. In 2008, John wanted to experience the feeling of jumping out of an airplane again for his 77th birthday. He shared this with his granddaughter, Darah Salmaggi, who then conceived the idea of creating a fundraiser to benefit veterans to compliment his wish.
- Since then “Reckless with Red” has expanded both in numbers of participants and annual donations. We have established relationships with many key organizations and individuals
such News 12 Long Island, State Senator Lee Zeldin, and Town of Islip Supervisor Tom Croci all of whom attended the event last year. We are affiliated with the various veteran organizations and many other groups that are committed to our cause. - 100% of the monies received through this fundraiser go directly toward our cause. Since the start in
2008 we have raised over $100,000 for our veterans. Your donations go directly to assist LI veterans and their family members who are actively challenged with overcoming the struggles of daily life as a veteran. - We are seeking your support. Our fundraiser gains national and even international attention as we grow each year. Past coverage of the event has been Emmy
Award winning - We know you share the same American and grassroots values as we do, and that is why we are seeking your assistance to honor our local LI veteran. We would be honored if you joined in and perhaps even considered skydiving with us at our next jump!
Did you know?
Long Island is one of the largest veteran populated areas in the US? Also, did you know that 1 in 4 homeless individuals are veterans? Or that since 2012 the daily suicide rate has increased from 18-22 veterans a day? This is not just a Long Island issue, it’s a nationwide epidemic.
Thank you very much for checking us out and for your consideration in assisting our LI veterans in this capacity.