Written by Cheri Cimmarrusti
Over the years there have been so many examples of young people doing good things to support Angel Flight West (AFW). When I started at AFW — nearly 29 years ago now — there was a young man volunteering in the office, making phone calls to pilots and helping however he could. His name was Ben Marcus; he was 15 years old and highly dedicated. Ben earned his pilot’s license when he was 16 and today is an entrepreneur and a prominent figure in the aviation industry. Ben and his best friend, Cyrus Sigari, volunteered all through high school until they both went off to college. When they turned 18, they became Command Pilots for AFW.
Since that time, they’ve been supporters of our organization through both time and treasure. This includes Ben spending several years on our board of directors. Today, they are both successful business owners and are very active in the world of GA.
Over the years, we’ve had other young AFW volunteers help us out. Making phone calls, cleaning up the office, working the golf tournament — showing up and making a difference. I’d like to share the stories of two young folks, both using their passion for helping others and blending it with the mission of AFW: Addison and Jasper.
Addison
Meet Addison Bray. Her dad, Dustin Bray, is a Command Pilot in Phoenix and flies his Beechcraft Bonanza for missions. Since joining AFW in 2022, Dustin has flown 73 missions, serving 41 different passengers. He’s participated in Flights of Joy and is a great example of volunteerism for his daughter. Addison decided to make “care packages” for the passengers that her dad flies. “I love what my dad does, and I thought it would be nice for all of the passengers to have a snack and a squishy ball, and to know that someone is watching and praying over them on their flight to get their treatment,” she shared.
To start, Addison made 25 care packages, and the first one was recently delivered to a passenger. That passenger was thrilled to receive her gift. When asked how he felt about his daughter’s project, Dustin said, “I continue to be amazed and proud beyond words with how loving of a heart she has for others (both human and animal), in spite of all the demands and distractions teenage girls are faced with today.” Addison picked this project for the National Junior Honor Society, of which she is a member.
Addison also volunteers for “Above and Beyond”, a nonprofit that provides airplane rides for kids who have a life-altering special need or other life disadvantages. She also rides her Arabian horse, Presley, in show competitions and works at the barn helping to pay for her horse’s expenses. Addison wants to be a photographer some day and hopes to photograph horse shows to share her passion with others. Thank you, Addison, for your giving heart!
Jasper
Several months ago, while I was staffing a table at a community event at the Santa Monica Airport, a young man, Jasper, approached me and said he wanted to volunteer for AFW. Since we’re now mostly remote, we don’t have the same in-office opportunities we used to. I gave him my card and asked him to reach out to me about some possibilities.
Around the time Jasper approached me, AFW was launching our Ground Crew program, which is a project to engage non-flying volunteers in ways that can be supportive to our staff. It has taken some time to get the program rolling, and Jasper did not give up — he patiently waited and then respectfully reached out and reminded us he was there. And then…he patiently waited and respectfully reached out again, reminding us he was there.
In April, we were about to get Jasper going and immediately became buried in getting ready for the Endeavor Awards, so Jasper patiently waited and then signed up to volunteer on the day of the event!
Jasper is currently calling pilots to help us with mission fulfillment, so for you Command Pilots out there: when you get a call from Jasper to fly a mission, please take a moment to thank him for his perseverance and dedication to AFW. He showed up to the Endeavor Awards ready to work and spent the afternoon and evening doing anything that was asked of him.
Jasper told me he’s volunteering for AFW because when he was working on getting his pilot license, he was looking for something he could do to both use that skill and give back. He loves the aviation community, and AFW caught his eye because part of our mission statement — allowing people to have access to healthcare — inspired him. He wanted to be able to help and provide some sort of assistance so he could be a part of our mission.
Jasper also volunteers at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying, working on the restoration team helping to restore the planes they display. And to bring things full circle, when working at the museum, he works with Ben Marcus, who is involved in that project. In an effort to support his other love — healthcare — Jasper volunteers at Providence St. John’s Hospital helping both nurses and patients.
Jasper is a junior at Palisades Charter High School and is interested in practicing medicine. He also hopes to keep flying and would like to fly as a pilot for AFW one day.
His experience in volunteering at AFW has been positive, and he loves calling the pilots, often taking some time to chat about their experiences in aviation. What an amazing young man.
I’m so proud of the young people who have taken it upon themselves to give back and help make AFW an even stronger and better organization.
Blue Skies and Ciao,
Cheri
