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A group of pilots who organized an expedition to raise funds for Hope Air has surpassed its original fundraising goal by more than $20,000. The Give Hope Wings expedition raised $422,385 to provide 1,689 flights for patients in need and created awareness for patients who need help.
The pilots and volunteers made stops in Western Canada between August 23 and
September 3 to raise funds to provide flights for patients in financial need who must
travel far from home for vital medical care. The flights are especially important for
patients who live outside of large centres and would have to drive or take a bus for
several hours each way to reach specialists.
This was the fourth annual expedition and the pilots landed in cities such as Nelson,
Drumheller, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Churchill. Pilots volunteered their own time and
had to make adjustments to the route along the way because of weather, smoke from
fires and evolving local COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are incredibly grateful for the amazing dedication of the pilots and volunteers
who participated in the two-week expedition. These incredible supporters volunteer
their own time to help patients, and it is quite remarkable that they exceeded the
fundraising goal. It will help ensure that we can continue to provide flights to patients
in need,” says Mark Rubinstein, CEO of Hope Air.
Previous Give Hope Wings expeditions have raised a total of $900,000 to fund more
than 3,600 flights.
Hope Air would especially like to thank the Title Sponsor, Langley Sportsplex,
and Gold Sponsors Coastal GasLink, Cognizant, Federated Co-operatives Limited,
LNG Canada, Odlum Brown Limited and Van-Kam Freightways Ltd. Hope Air
would also like to thank the media sponsors National Post/Postmedia, Pattison Media
and NowMedia.
As Hope Air celebrates this monumental achievement by its volunteers, it is still
aiming to raise an additional $1.5 million in 2021 to continue to help patients across
the country reach vital medical care far from home.
For further information or to arrange media interviews, please contact:
Christine Stolte
cstolte@hopeair.ca
647-224-5616
This press release was prepared and distributed by Hope Air
