AFW, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines Help First Responders August 11, 2020 Alaska Airlines crew with retired paramedic Justin Ireland center on his way to a hospital at the front lines of the crisis in Chicago. (Photo was on a flight prior to mask requirements.) Alaska Airlines generously donated miles to AFW to arrange transportation so COVID-19 first responders could get to and from their assignments. As of this printing, Alaska Airlines has flown 121 medical personnel and 391,812 mile… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
With Love, From Strangers August 11, 2020 L to R: Founder of nonprofit With Love, From Strangers Dr. Thuet, AFW pilot Mark Miller, UT Wing Leader Steve Bollinger, Carol Tso and her sons from Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health loading much needed PPE going to southwest healthcare facilities and tribal communities. “With Love, From Strangers” is not just a sign-off phrase at the bottom of a letter — it’s the name of a nonprofit organization… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Helping to Relieve Pain for a Terminal Teen May 17, 2020 Mya is a very busy sixteen-and-a-half-year-old teenager who attends public school and volunteers for a myriad of children’s programs. She won student of the year, and yet she told her mom Carly, “I just want to be a normal kid.”Mya was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that causes continuous fractures mostly in her femurs and hips, producing ongoing pain. She’s had surgeries to alleviate the pain, but her d… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
A Grateful Family May 17, 2020 Passenger five-year-old Wyatt with his Dad For Wyatt’s first four years he was always on the go. At five, he started complaining of headaches and mom Christine thought he might just be dehydrated. One headache became so debilitating that Christine took him to the doctor at Children’s Hospital in Bakersfield on May 2, 2019. The diagnosis was a DIPG brain tumor, chiari malformation and hydrocephalitis, the la… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Angel Flight West Volunteers During Coronavirus May 17, 2020 On the morning of March 30, 2020, Denver Command Pilot Phil Rosnik took off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport with 85 pounds of handsanitizer in his Cessna Turbo 182 for delivery to Wray Community DistrictHospital. Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), like all others across America, is struggling to get urgently needed supplies to rural hospitals. Our pilots partnered with Colorado Hospital Associati… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Crisis, Compassion and Strength April 15, 2020 by Cheri Cimmarrusti, Associate Executive Director Command Pilot Phil Rosnick and volunteers loading sanitizers bound for a rural CO hospital in need of all medical supplies. It is difficult to describe the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on mission operations at Angel Flight West. In my 22+ years working with this organization, this time period has been the most difficult. Looking back, our t… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
WINGSPAN April 10, 2020 by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach & Wing Operations Santa Barbara Outreach Activity Report Before Command Pilot Jeff Moorhouse took the reins of Southern California Wing Leader in 2019, he was the California Central Coast Area Leader and became an outreach superstar. Mission requests in the California Central Coast had been on a steady decline and missions flown fell below the 100 missions-a-year mark… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Mission Moment April 10, 2020 Kaylie H. Kaylie’s Command Pilot and AFW Board Member Mark Wolper. Little Kaylie is a strong-spirited two-year-old with a fiery personality and a face you cannot stop looking at. So, you would never know that she has been through a lot in her short life. Kaylie was born with citrullinemia type 1, a genetic condition that causes ammonia and toxic substances to build up in the blood. Her mom an… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
A Pilot’s Perspective April 10, 2020 A pilot’s note to the family of a passenger who has passed. By Command Pilot Alex Polvi Alex Polvi with passenger Michael on the right. I can’t imagine the grief you must be going through. As a pilot for Angel Flight West, I had the special opportunity to fly your brother from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica. Our flight is specifically memorable to me and I thought you might appreciate hearing the story. … Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Wing Leader News April 10, 2020 by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach and Wing Operations Incoming Wing Leaders Hawaii – Chad Holcomb It’s my pleasure to welcome back Chad Holcomb as Wing Leader for the Hawaii Wing. Chad has previously served as the Hawaii Wing Leader in 2009 after moving to Hawaii from California. Chad began flying in the 90s, receiving flying lessons from his dad. After graduating from college, Chad obtained his pilot li… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
In the Hangar April 10, 2020 An In-depth Conversation with Adriene Rockwell, AFW Grant Writer One of three of our wonderful grant writers, Adriene Rockwell 1) So, what is your actual AFW “official” title? I am one of three grant writers on the team, along with Kathleen Masser and Kim Okamura. 2) And when did you come on board to AFW? Oh my goodness, good question. It must be 2011, because that’s how far my grant proposals go back. 3) How did you come to… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Volunteer “Angels” Deliver Crucial Supplies April 1, 2020 On Monday morning, Denver resident Phil Rosnik took off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport with 85 pounds of hand sanitizer in the cargo hold of his Cessna TR182. Destination: Wray Community District Hospital. It’s not a typical flight for Rosnik, who’s a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight West (AFW), a charitable aviation organization that arranges free air transportation for people who need… Ivan Martinez Read More »
Please meet Zoe March 12, 2020 We’d like you to meet Zoe. Zoe was born with just 10 percent of a normal small intestine, which means her body can’t get enough nutrients from solid food, and she has to be fed through a central line in her chest. She spent the first six months of her life at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto where she nearly died. Now 13 months old, Zoe is back at home in Southern California with her parents and older sister. But… afw_web_admin Read More »
Mobile App Update February 3, 2020 The most recent update of the AFW Mobile App includes the ability to bookmark or favorite a mission leg, and to rate the mission based on your preferences. Bookmarking or “Favoriting” a mission leg allows you to mark it for possible consideration. To bookmark, click the heart icon for the mission leg as show in #2. You can then filter the missions available list by favorites by using the new filter option i… afw_web_admin Read More »
Wingspan November 17, 2019 Angel Flight Welcomes and Thanks Incoming and Outgoing Wing Leaders by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach and Wing Operations Incoming Wing Leaders Incoming So. CA Wing Leader Jeff Moorhouse Jeff and passenger Suzanne B. Please join me in welcoming Jeff Moorhouse as AFW’s new So. CA Wing Leader. Jeff is a Certified Financial Planner and Advisor with Moorhouse Financial Services, Inc., located in Carpinteria an… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
