Mon, Feb 14, 2005
Generosity Extends Beyond Immediate Crisis
AOPA members continue their work to
fund relief efforts in tsunami-ravaged Southeast Asia. AOPA and
AOPA members have donated more than $115,000 to Air Serv
International, a non-governmental humanitarian organization (NGO)
that uses GA aircraft to provide logistical support to other NGOs
and relief agencies.
AOPA says the money is being put to very good use.
"The funds donated to Air Serv from AOPA members are being used
to pay for Caravan flights and some fuel for our seven
helicopters," reports Air Serv CEO Stu Willcuts. "All of us express
our deep appreciation to our AOPA partners for this significant
response."
Air Serv's C-208B Grand Caravan is being used to transport
humanitarian staff, emergency medical supplies, and rabies and
tetanus vaccines to Banda Aceh, one of the hardest hit towns in
Sumatra. The material is then transferred to helicopters for
transport to displaced person clinics along the west coast of
Sumatra.
In the first days following the tsunami, many members contacted
AOPA asking what they could do to help. The association supported
the majority who agreed that cash donations were what were most
needed. Consistent with our aviation mission, AOPA identified an
international, nonprofit humanitarian organization - Air Serv
International - that has been using a fleet of GA aircraft for more
than 20 years to bring badly needed logistic support, food,
supplies - and hope - to millions of people in some of the harshest
environments in the world. And AOPA offered to match the first
$25,000 in individual member donations to Air Serv. The outpouring
of generosity was extraordinary.
"From an aviation perspective, Air Serv International is in the
midst of assisting in this disaster," said AOPA President Phil
Boyer. "Theirs and other aviation efforts are a remarkable example
of how GA airplanes and airports serve as a vital emergency link
for people throughout the world."
Air Serv International is listed as an approved agency by the
USA Freedom Corps, the organization identified in public service
announcements featuring former Presidents Bush and Clinton. Air
Serv has historically been funded by a combination of government
grants and tax-deductible private donations.
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