Receives Grant To Improve Access To Health Care
Angel Flight West (AFW) awarded The
Distinguished Pilot of the Year award to Albuquerque, NM pilot Dan
Telfair at AFW's 24th Anniversary Awards, and on Saturday at the
annual New Mexico Wing pilot awards event.
Telfair completed 56 missions over the past year. As an AFW
pilot, Dan flies people in need whose non-emergency health care
problems require that they travel to and from medical facilities
and for other humanitarian reasons. Telfair, like all AFW volunteer
pilots, donates the cost of all the missions he flies. His flights
include transporting children living in the foster care system to
meet potential adoptive parents; some of these flights have
resulted in children finding new permanent homes.
Telfair is one of 44 active New Mexico based pilots who fly for
AFW. In the past year, AFW's volunteer pilots in New Mexico have
flown over 144 missions totaling 360 hours of volunteer flying,
43,200 miles flown and $79,200 in volunteer pilot in-kind donated
costs.
John Courtright, another AFW frequent-flying New Mexico pilot,
was recognized with The Wingman Award during the Anniversary event
and at the New Mexico Wing pilot awards. Courtright, from
Albuquerque, has flown 27 missions in the past year, which have
included flying a now two-year-old boy from Portales, NM to Los
Angeles, CA for retinal blastoma treatment.
"The flights donated by our New Mexico pilots are invaluable,"
said AFW Executive Director Michael Nanko. "These pilots of purpose
who fly out of passion and their compassion to help those in need
are impressive. They truly make a difference to the residents or
New Mexico. With the combined efforts of all these remarkable
individuals, Angel Flight West has become the charitable aviation
organization of choice in the great state of New Mexico."
As a result of the work performed by pilots in New Mexico and
the recognition that there is a need for improved access to
healthcare for all New Mexicans, Con Alma Health Foundation, New
Mexico's largest foundation solely dedicated to improving the
quality and access to health care, awarded AFW with one of their
2007 Small Grant's in the amount of $14,000 for a program titled
Increased Access to Quality Health Care through Free Air
Transportation.
Angel Flight West was one of the recipients honored at the Sixth
Annual Grants Award Banquet at the Sandia Resort and Casino last
Friday.