On Saturday, September 26, 2009, 12-year-old WWII history buff Ricky Melendez saw a lifelong dream take flight. With the encouragement of World War II veteran and retired B-17 bomber pilot Charles Ormsby of Kokomo, Ricky flew in a B-17 bomber plane. With his uncle by his side and Ormsby as a witness, the young Wabash resident experienced 35 minutes of interaction and an unforgettable flight with a B-17 bomber and its crew.

Melendez recently became a participant in the State of Indiana’s Medicaid Waiver program for individuals with developmental disabilities. It is through this program that Melendez’s interest in World War II and its history quickly became a focus for two Indiana Professional Management Group (IPMG) employees. IPMG is the sole provider of person-centered case management services to more than 12,500 Hoosiers receiving an Autism, Developmental Disabilities, or Support Services Waiver as part of the State’s Medicaid waiver program for individuals with developmental disabilities. (The Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, a department of Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, administers the Medicaid waiver program.)

To better understand how Ricky’s waiver can best be utilized to meet his needs and move him closer to his dreams, IPMG Intake Specialist Amanda Vandergriff and IPMG Transitions Manager Kelly Kearney met with Ricky and his parents, Maria and Rick, in August.

Upon discovering his interest in World War II history, Vandergriff and Kearney became determined to help Ricky find a way to live out his dreams. They began calling upon community resources to help fund a flight for Ricky with a tour of the Flying Fortress B-17s that were scheduled to be at the DeKalb County Airport on September 26.

Within two weeks, Vandergriff and Kearney had not only generated enough support in the community to fund the $400 flight, but also arranged for the father of Vandergriff’s neighbor, Charles Ormsby, a WWII B-17 pilot who was shot down during the war, to support Ricky’s dream by providing autographed photographs Ormsby took during his experience as a WWII B-17 crew member. Ormsby volunteered to go even further, by traveling to the DeKalb County Airport to personally present the photos to Ricky prior to his memorable flight, and offer a personal history lesson about the planes and his wartime experience.

To view some of the photos Ormsby shared with Ricky, visit www.flickr.com/photos/42607474@N04/sets/72157622266097615/. To see more images of Ricky's day, visit IPMG's photo collection.

To read this story as published in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, visit http://tinyurl.com/y9b25co. Ricky was also featured in his hometown paper, the Wabash Plain Dealer. Congratulations, Ricky!