Corporate Angel Network Celebrates Milestone Flight at Meridian

Meridian was honored to be part of an historical milestone event last week when the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) celebrated its 50,000th flight on Thursday, April 14, 2016. The empty leg flight, which departed from Meridian Teterboro, was arranged for toddler Baron Yerby and his parents Jonathan and Casey. Baron had been in New York City receiving cancer treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, and the family was traveling back to their home in Georgia. 

The empty seat in the Challenger 300 was donated by a longtime Meridian customer. In addition to the Management Team of this customer, the event attracted representatives from CAN, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and Aviation International News (AIN). A small crew of photographers and videographers were also on-hand to capture the moment. 

Peter Fleiss, CAN’s Executive Director Emeritus, had this to say, "We at Corporate Angel Network are very proud to be celebrating the 50,000th flight today. It demonstrates the longevity and value of our mission, and how our organization has grown over the years to positively impact so many people who are facing the difficult challenges of battling cancer. This milestone is also a celebration of our business aviation partners whose participation has made these flights possible." 

Ken Forester, Meridian CEO, was honored that his company could play a role in this event. "The good work that Corporate Angel Network does exemplifies how business aviation gives back to the community. We are very proud of our customers who support this wonderful organization, and I am both excited and humbled that our company was able to celebrate this amazing milestone with our friends at CAN."

Corporate Angel Network, based at Westchester County Airport, arranges free transportation for cancer patients to specialized treatment by using the empty seats on corporate jets already flying to the desired destinations. Since its first flight in 1981, CAN, a 501(c)(3) organization with Public Charity status, has provided more than 50,000 flights to adults and children whose best treatment options are often thousands of miles from home. Volunteers and a small staff coordinate the medical travel needs of patients with the scheduled flight activity of more than 500 participating corporations (including half the Fortune 100) resulting in 225 or more patient flights each month. For more information on Corporate Angel Network, go to www.corpangelnetwork.org.