CAN Hosts Online Auction for Cancer Relief Flights

On the second night of the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention, the Corporate Angel Network traditionally hosts its live auction, Fund An Angel, to muster financial support for the organization, which coordinates relief flights for cancer patients across the United States. While the NBAA’s live event has been cancelled, the auction goes on, in a virtual way.

The Fund An Angel Virtual Auction features a wide range of items and experiences, and CAN’s executive director Gina Russo credits creativity with providing a way for the auction to go on. “While the CAN team wishes we could be in-person for this event as we’ve done for the past ten years, I am pleased that we still have a platform to generate funds for our operation while promoting the positive impact business aviation has on cancer patients throughout the country,” Russo said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted CAN financial resources, as well as the availability of aircraft,” Russo noted. “When flight departments decreased flight activity in mid-March, it presented a unique challenge for the CAN model. Fortunately, through the support of the business aviation community, we have remained a critical part of our patients’ treatment plans and continue to transport them to the country’s top treatment centers.”

The online auction is now live and will close on Wednesday, October 7 at 8 pm EDT. Items will be added as they are received by donors, and supporters may place a bid at any time. Participants may also make a direct pledge to CAN’s mission through the “Fund an Angel” selection on the items list, the association noted.

Prior to the slowdown induced by the pandemic, CAN coordinated roughly 250 flights each month, and the organization has flown more than 63,000 patients since its founding in 1981. Read more about CAN in the October issue of Flying.