 |
||||
    
|
Newsroom March's Charity of the Month: Angel Flight East
The wings they use are mammoth in size and their compassion for people in need fuels each life-changing flight. With each take-off and landing made by the volunteer pilots of Angel Flight East, passengers with limited financial resources have the chance to receive life-saving medical care and reach new heights of personal potential.
Angel Flight East is a nonprofit organization based in the historic Wings Field in Blue Bell, Philadelphia, which coordinates free private air transportation for acute or chronically ill patients who do not have the means to pay for commercial air travel, or whose immune systems would be compromised by re-circulated air in commercial aircrafts.
The MDRT Foundation awarded a $2,500 grant to Angel Flight East to fund the Mission Coordination program, which recruits, retains and supports volunteer pilots. This grant was sponsored by Albert V. Althaus, CLU, ChFC, a 28-year MDRT member from East Meadow, New York. Althaus is also an Angel Flight East volunteer pilot, and generously gives his time and flight experience to transport people and children in need of medical care.
“The [Mission Coordination program] contributes to the health and vitality of our community by providing all the necessary tools for these pilots to ensure that no child or adult goes without critical medical care located far from their homes, just because they cannot afford the high cost of air transportation,” Althaus explained.
Angel Flight East was founded by pilot Harry Morales in response to the disaster relief needs during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, which devastated communities in Southern Florida in 1992. Since then, Angel Flight East has continued to serve disaster relief efforts, and played an important role in transporting volunteers, medical personnel, blood and medical supplies during the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in 2001, and most recently in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005. |
|||
|
|
|||
