NBAA Benefit Raises $220,000 for Life-Saving Flights; Honors ‘Angel of the Year’

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) applaud the $220,000 raised on October 12 through an industry benefit held to support CAN’s life-saving flights for cancer patients.

“The business aviation community has long understood the need to ‘give back,’ and that was clearly in evidence in this show of support for CAN’s work,” says NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The contributions raised through our benefit will make a difference in many people’s lives.”

CAN Executive Director Peter Fleiss agrees, stating: “For decades, the business aviation community has offered a helping hand to the many people whose lives are touched by cancer. The people and companies in the industry have again shown their strong support for CAN’s work, and we are most appreciative of their assistance.”

The funds for CAN were raised through the annual NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit, held each year as part of NBAA’s Annual Meeting & Convention. This year, the benefit was held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, and featured live and silent auctions to raise money for CAN’s charitable flights. 

A nonprofit organization, Corporate Angel Network provides transportation to treatment centers for cancer patients in empty seats on business aircraft. Since its founding in 1981, CAN has arranged nearly 40,000 patient flights. Every year, CAN is the exclusive beneficiary of the NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit at NBAA’s Convention.

At this year’s benefit, CAN presented its first “Angel of the Year” Award to NBAA Member ConocoPhillips for integrating social responsibility into the company’s business flying. The Angel of the Year Award was presented to Doug Schwartz, manager, global aviation services for ConocoPhillips, by astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon.

CAN’s Peter Fleiss notes: “ConocoPhillips began its support of CAN in 1983, and since then has flown nearly 6,000 patients to cancer centers best suited to treat their specific types of cancer. We applaud the company’s enthusiastic participation in CAN’s efforts, and we congratulate the company on this well-deserved honor.”

With NBAA’s support, CAN has grown to include 530 participating companies, six staff and a team of 50 part-time volunteers who work with patients, physicians, corporate flight departments and leading treatment centers to coordinate charitable flights.