Currently: 78°F
When Millersville University alum, Jessica Ames ’13 graduated she knew she wanted to work for a smaller grassroots nonprofit. Searching on Craigslist, she found a part-time listing at Angel Flight East becoming their first programs and events coordinator. Initially, she saw the opportunity as a stepping stone for a career change, but nine years later, Ames is now the outreach and events director and is taking flying lessons with ambitions of one day providing flights to patients in need.
Ames credits Dr. Jennifer Wood for teaching her everything she needed to know as her advisor. “As a public relations major, I had the opportunity to be an intern with various nonprofit organizations and that’s how I discovered that is where I wanted my career path to take me.”
Angel Flight East was founded in Pennsylvania by Harry Morales, a general aviation pilot, who wanted to help with relief efforts after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He created AFE with the help of Jeff Kahn and Joe Staples, among others. Their vision and commitment to the “principles of public benefit flying” drove the dynamic force of what was to become AFE. Immediately, the organization began to fill the gap between the need to access crucial medical care at a distance and the high cost of transportation to get there.
“We fly many patients for cancer care, rare disease treatments, clinical trials, etc.,” says Ames.
AFE provides free flights for patients in need of medical treatment far from home. Volunteer pilots use their own airplanes and cover all costs of the flight. AFE covers a 14-state footprint that spans from Virginia to Ohio to Maine and for destinations outside that territory, they partner with other volunteer pilot organizations. AFE schedules close to 1,000 flights per year. Flight range is a minimum of 100 miles and a maximum of 1,000 miles. In addition to providing flights for patients, AFE also delivers supplies to disaster areas and helps reunite families during desperate times.
To volunteer or find out more information about Angel Flight East, visit Angel Flight East Information.
