CAN’s Fund an Angel Reception and Auction Always a Highlight of NBAA-BACE

A few days before Christmas, 1981, Leonard Greene flew the first flight for the newly created Corporate Angel Network (CAN). Greene flew a young man with bone cancer from his treatment in New York to his home in Michigan on Safe Flight Instrument Corporations’ King Air, creating a comfortable environment for the post-surgery patient.

Greene had teamed up with friends Pat Blum and Jay Weinberg to officially form CAN, the organization that has now flown more than 56,000 cancer patient flights to date. To support this mission, NBAA is again sponsoring Corporate Angel Network’s Fund an Angel Reception with live auction at the Hilton Orlando in Florida on Wednesday, Oct. 17, in conjunction with the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).

Gina A. Russo, CAN’s executive director, anticipates around 700 people will attend the event, featuring networking opportunities and a lively auction hosted by world-famous auctioneer Spanky Assiter. Available for bidding will be trips to U.S. and international destinations, as well as tickets to sporting events and other exciting offerings.

“We are honored and proud to collaborate with NBAA, which has been a good friend to CAN since the beginning,” Russo said. “We would not be able to operate without the enormous support of the business aviation community. Simply put, their member companies have made our mission possible.”

The productive relationship CAN has with business aviation operators happens because CAN’s staff and volunteers make the process as easy as possible for busy flight departments. “We do all the vetting of patients and their travel companions,” Russo said. “Once a patient is matched with a potential flight and after we have confirmed their eligibility for a CAN flight, we contact the flight departments to see if the flight is available. The flight departments are always helpful and willing to see if a requested flight can work out.”

NBAA members and business aircraft operators can learn more about the Fund an Angel activities at NBAA-BACE or become involved in flying CAN mission flights by visiting fundanangel.org or corpangelnetwork.org, or by calling (866) 328-1313.

NBAA-BACE will be held Oct. 16-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Orlando Executive Airport.

Pictured: CAN Executive Director Gina Russo addressing guests of the 2017 Fund an Angel Reception at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, NV.