Did you know that every day volunteer pilots across the state fly Washingtonians to receive critical medical treatment and for a variety of compassionate reasons?

· A small child, ravaged by cancer, needs specialized lifesaving treatment at a hospital 300 miles away.

· A father, separated from his family by a natural disaster, wants desperately to be reunited.

· A domestic-violence survivor longs to start a new life in another city, but cannot afford to leave.

These are just a few of the people to whom help and hope is offered.

Volunteer pilots donate their time, talent, planes and pay all costs (i.e. fuel and landing fees) out of their own pockets. Who are these people and why do they do it? For starters, they are part of an organization called Angel Flight West that’s been doing this for nearly 30 years.

Angel Flight West (AFW), the largest volunteer flying organization in the U.S., is comprised of 13 “Wings” serving the entire state of Washington as well as Alaska, Arizona, California (N), California (S), Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Some 1,500 AFW volunteer pilots fly missions to help people they don’t even know. These pilots have saved the lives of hundreds of men, women and children by flying them across Washington or across multiple states to see the medical specialists they need.

Whether you’re in a major metropolitan area like Seattle, or a small rural community, these angels of the sky are right in your backyard.

For more information, call 888-4-AN-ANGEL or visit http://www.angelflight.org