In November, we honor our country’s veterans and prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving. As an Honor Flight guardian, award-winning chef and MOMentum Mom Amber Phillips celebrates veterans all year long and provides turkeys for hundreds of people in our community to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal affordable for their families.
Born in Ohio, but raised in Naples, Amber is a self-taught chef and owner of Sage Events Gluten-Free Kitchen, Catering, and Meal Delivery Service. She also owns Sage Kitchen and plans and officiates weddings through her other business, Sand Dollar Weddings. Amber is a single mom who lives with her 16-year-old daughter Meadow and two pups named Wiggles and LuLu.
How did you get involved in Honor Flight? Editor’s note: Honor Flight is an organization that treats veterans to a day in Washington, D.C., to visit all of the war monuments. Back in 2015, I went to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) to greet the veterans coming home from their Honor Flight. The veterans were crying and thanking us for being there. My Grandpa was a World War II veteran and I would have given anything for him to experience this. I was so touched and humbled by the experience that I signed up to be a guardian on a flight. My first flight was in 2015 with Korean War veteran Carol. My second flight was in 2016 with Korean War veteran Harry and I just completed my third flight with Korean War veteran Tony.
What is the Honor Flight day like? I pick up my veteran the day of the flight at 3:15 a.m. We drive to the Naples Airport and depart via bus with a police escort and a motorcycle group (like Guardian Angels) to RSW. As our plane taxis before take- off, we get a fire truck water salute. We help the veterans board and exit the buses and planes and push them all over Washing-ton, D.C. We make sure they use sunscreen, are hydrated and fed, and have all their medications. Our sole purpose is to make sure they have an awesome and safe day.
Tell us about your other community service roles. I am very active with PACE Center for Girls in Immokalee. I started volunteering at some fundraisers a couple of years ago and decided that I wanted to be more involved. In 2018, I was named the PACE volunteer of the year. I knew then that my heart belongs here. I was nominated for the PACE board of directors and was inducted this past summer.
For the past six years, my company has run the Annual Sage Turkey Drive at Thanksgiving. We started out donating 10-20 turkeys to families and organizations in need. Now we donate, with the help of the community, almost 300 turkeys annually!
Editor’s note: At press time, Amber packed and sent a truck loaded with donated supplies to the areas affected by Hurricane Michael.
What is something that would surprise us about the veterans? I find it amazing that the veterans are so humble. When they returned from their respective wars, they simply came home and went back to work. There was no parade for their return and they weren’t honored as heroes. The fact these soldiers saw so much pain and suffering, yet cry when they are welcomed home from their Honor Flight is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. So much emotion has been locked away, but it comes out instantly on a flight. They are our heroes.
What is a typical day for your family? I am up at 5 a.m. to get the pups out, make lunch for my daughter, and get her to high school. I can be at work anywhere from 8-20 hours. Most Tuesday nights, I try to have date night with my daughter. I never have weekends off with this business, but if I am able to sneak away, I am always up for a good music festival and check- ing out great food.
Do you think your community service helps to make you a better parent? Absolutely – it keeps life in perspective. When you help another person, you see what they are going through, you see their struggles, and you realize how grateful you should be and instill that blessing of knowledge and gratitude onto your kids.
What are your biggest challenges right now as a mom? Balance. Trying to balance all facets of a business and raise a beautiful, respectful young lady as a single parent – it’s not for the faint of heart!
Honor Flight photography by Deanna Sakal.