The History
The USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum bracket the entire war — the morning it began for America and the deck where it ended. Our Marines will walk both.
85th Anniversary Commemoration — December 2026
Send Our Young
Marines to Pearl Harbor
This December, 7 East Valley Young Marines will stand over the USS Arizona for the 85th anniversary of the attack. Your gift is what gets them there.
Fundraising Progress
$0
of $20,000
0% of goal reached
Every gift moves this bar. Thank you.
7
Marines Going
20
Years Strong
2,400+
Service Hours
100%
Youth Focused
Our Unit
Who We Are
East Valley Young Marines is a youth education and service program built around the mental, moral, and physical development of young people ages 8 to 18. We serve several cities in the East Valley, but our commitment doesn't end there. The East Valley Young Marines will travel wherever duty calls. We serve the community and several veterans organizations.
Not a single dollar of this campaign goes to salaries. It goes towards our Young Marines' flights, lodging, transportation and their historical experience of what took place on December 7th, 1941.
Read the full missionThe Mission
Why Pearl Harbor
You can read about December 7th in a textbook. You cannot feel it there. Standing on the memorial, watching oil still rise from the Arizona eighty-five years later, does something to a fourteen-year-old that no classroom can replicate.
The Honor
Our unit will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony in full uniform and, where scheduling allows, meet with surviving veterans and their families. Respect taught in person is respect that lasts.
The Leadership
Young Marines learn leadership the same way Marines do — the fourteen traits of JJDIDTIEBUCKLE: justice, judgment, dependability, integrity, decisiveness, tact, initiative, endurance, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and enthusiasm.
The Trip
Eight days on Oahu in December 2026, timed around the 85th anniversary commemoration on December 7th. Group travel from Phoenix, chaperoned lodging, and historical excursions.
Who Goes
All qualified and eligible Young Marines and registered Adult Volunteers.
What Comes Back
Every participant presents what they learned to the unit and to a local school or veterans group. The trip ends in Hawaii; the teaching keeps going here.
Full Transparency
Where Every Dollar Goes
Here is the entire $20,000 budget, line by line — five costs, no overhead, no salaries.
48%
31%
12%
5.5%
Airfare
$9,550
Round-trip group fare, Phoenix to Honolulu, for 7 Young Marines at December peak pricing. The single largest barrier between our kids and this memorial.
Lodging
$6,200
Eight nights of chaperoned group lodging on Oahu.
Meals
$2,450
Three meals a day for seven days — $50 a day per Young Marine, $350 for the week.
Educational Tours
$700
Admission and guided programs at the USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin, and the Pacific Aviation Museum — $100 per Young Marine.
Transportation
$1,100
Van rental used to transport the Young Marines to all community service projects, the wreath ceremony, the parade, and educational events, plus parking fees.
Total Goal
$20,000
Seven Young Marines at roughly $2,860 each — the full cost of sending one kid to Pearl Harbor and back.
- Airfare$9,550
- Lodging$6,200
- Meals$2,450
- Transportation$1,100
- Educational Tours$700
- Total$20,000
Costs are estimated based on current economics. Prices are subject to change based on costs at time of purchase.
Bid to Support
Bid on a Fly-Fishing Getaway
One package, open to anyone, bid online from anywhere. The winning bid goes straight into the same $20,000 trip fund as the donations above — same goal, same progress bar, just a different way to get there.
Bidding Opens
Sep 18
2026
Bidding Closes
Oct 17
10:00 AM MST
Time Remaining
—
until bidding closes
Auction · $1,800 Value
Four Days in the Smokies
A party of four, four days and three nights in the Smokies of western North Carolina — guided water, good barbecue, and a base camp to come back to.
The Experience Includes
- Four days and three nights at an RV site
- Guided fly fishing for four with Maggie Valley Fly Fishing
- Dinner for four at Haywood Smokehouse
- Dinner for four at Pops BBQ
- Breakfast for four at the Breakfast Depot
- Travel-concierge coordination
Auction at a Glance
- Party Size
- Four Guests
- Opening Bid
- $580
- Bid Increments
- $25
- Package Value
- $1,800
- Auction Closes
- Oct 17, 2026
- Airfare
- Not Included
Trip is in the Smokies of western North Carolina. Travel to and from is the winner's responsibility. Winner is notified by email and/or phone after bidding closes, and dates are arranged with the outfitter.
Place Your Bid
Opens our secure Givebutter auction in a new tab. Free to look — you only create an account when you place your first bid.
Bidding starts at $580 and rises in $25 steps. The winning bid is charged through Givebutter when the auction closes and counts toward the $20,000 goal. Because the winner receives goods and services in exchange, only the amount paid above the $1,800 package value is tax-deductible. Donations made anywhere else on this page are fully deductible.
$25 a Ticket
Win a Historic Flight
A seat in a genuine warbird, off the runway at Falcon Field in Mesa. Twenty-five dollars gets you a ticket, and every ticket goes to the same $20,000 trip fund.
Tickets On Sale
Sep 18
2026
Drawing
Oct 17
2026
Time Remaining
—
until the drawing
Raffle · $350 Value
Take to the Skies
A flight in a piece of military aviation history, departing Falcon Field Airport in Mesa. Scheduling is arranged directly with Tony Anger of Grounded No More.
About the Prize
Grounded No More, Inc. is an Arizona 501(c)(3) based at Falcon Field in Mesa. Founded by Tony Anger, the volunteer-led organization uses historic aviation to honor military service and create lasting memories for veterans navigating grief and healing. It was named the 2026 Mesa Has Heart Micro Nonprofit of the Year.
They fly veterans in Amazing Grace II, a U.S. Navy Stearman World War II trainer, and Gold Star families in Mary the Gold Star of Righteousness, an IAR-823. The Anger family provides those flights at no cost to the veterans and Gold Star families who take them.
Raffle at a Glance
- One Ticket
- $25
- Five Tickets
- $100
- Prize Value
- $350
- Drawing
- Oct 17, 2026
- Departure
- Falcon Field
Five tickets for the price of four. You need not be present to win — the winner is notified by email and/or phone after the drawing.
Get Raffle Tickets
Opens our Givebutter page in a new tab. Choose Donate & Tickets to pick up single tickets or the five-ticket bundle.
Raffle tickets are not tax-deductible. The IRS treats a ticket as the purchase of a chance to win rather than a charitable gift, so no portion of the $25 is deductible. Straight donations elsewhere on this page are fully deductible. Prize provided by Grounded No More, Inc.
Make a Gift
Pick Your Impact
Every amount is tied to something real on this trip. Choose a tier or give what you can.
Most Popular
$100
Walks One Through History
Admission to all four Pearl Harbor historic sites for one Young Marine — the whole reason we go.
$500
Four Nights Under a Roof
Four of the eight nights of chaperoned lodging for one Young Marine.
$1,000
A Third of a Seat
Better than a third of one Young Marine's entire trip — the single biggest push toward getting one kid on that plane.
Prefer to give by check, or want to sponsor a Young Marine directly? Get in touch and we'll take care of it.
Gallery
Our Young Marines
Formation, ceremony, and colors — our Young Marines representing East Valley at Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl.
Click any photo to enlarge.
Questions
FAQ
Yes. The Young Marines of the Marine Corps League is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Givebutter emails you a receipt immediately after your gift. No goods or services are provided in exchange for a straight donation.
Auctions and raffles work differently. Win an auction item and you receive goods in exchange, so only the amount you paid above the item's stated value is deductible — your receipt shows the split. Raffle tickets are not deductible at all, because you are buying a chance to win rather than making a gift. We are not tax advisors; check with yours if the amount matters to you.
December 2026 — seven days on Oahu, scheduled around the 85th anniversary commemoration events at Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Exact travel dates are confirmed with families once airfare is booked.
Unfortunately, if we don't hit the $20,000 goal, we sometimes have families back out who can't afford the offset. That portion isn't lost — it's redistributed throughout the trip fund. The unit commander has provided all Young Marines and their families with the Operation Pearl Harbor 85 trip packet detailing all associated costs. Young Marines who qualify but are unable to meet the financial outline will not be able to attend.
On merit: drill attendance, community service hours logged, conduct, and academic standing.
Absolutely. Business sponsors are recognized on all our social media platforms and unit home page.
Yes, and they go just as far as cash. Van or vehicle rentals, airfare, airline miles, ground transportation, lodging — if it covers a line item in the budget above, it puts a Young Marine that much closer to Hawaii. Hotel and travel industry contacts are especially welcome.
Email eastvalley@youngmarines.org with what you can offer and we'll take it from there. Every in-kind gift receives a tax deductible letter.
A note on taxes: for non-cash gifts the IRS asks the donor, not the charity, to determine the value. Some contributions — donated services and airline miles among them — may not be deductible. Check with your tax advisor.
Start with our unit application on our membership page.
Adult volunteers complete a background check and national Young Marines training.
Get Them on That Plane
Every dollar brings a Young Marine one step closer to standing on that memorial.