There are a lot of great things about running a magazine publishing company. For one thing, it gives you a medium to engage in discussions when you have an important topic on your mind that you feel is beneficial to share with others. Through the years, when I have penned a publisher’s note, it has always been about something in our industry. However, this time I am going off-script. I want to chat with you about an organization I have become aware of that is doing very good work for sick children around the country that you might want to know about.
Just down the street from our headquarters is the office for Miracle Flights for Kids. As the name implies, the organization is dedicated to providing families with limited financial resources transportation for their children when they are in need of out-of-state medical care. Perhaps you have heard of Miracle Flights for Kids, but if not, here’s the 411 on them.
Miracle Flights was founded in 1985 by Ann McGee. As with most organizations, it had humble beginnings. Utilizing private planes and pilots, if Miracle Flights had three flights a month, it was a busy month. However, as the years passed and funding grew, Miracle Flights was able to start using commercial airlines. Today, Miracle Flights now provides up to 600 flights per month for in-need children and their families. In fact, Miracle Flights has coordinated more than 90,000 flights and 50 million miles of medical air travel through the years. Obviously, this is an organization that is making a major difference in people’s lives.
Here’s a story Lance Scott tells about his experience with Miracle Flights: “Miracle Flights helped my wife and me take our three-year-old son to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center for his Eosinophilic Disorder and also for his hypermobility of joints. We live in Southern Utah and from the past four years of medical expenses with our son, it has drained our financial resources. But with the help of Miracle Flights we were able to see the best doctors in the country to help our son.” There are thousands of stories just like Lance’s. Miracle Flights is helping change lives on a daily basis.
One of the beautiful elements of the organization is that it is not just a one-and-done deal. Miracle Flights will be there for its recipients throughout the treatment process. As Josie Castro explains, “Our five-year-old son Christian has short bowel syndrome and Autism. Our son participates in the Omegaven clinical study at Boston Children’s Hospital. A medical team closely monitors my son’s chronic medical condition, which requires us to fly to Boston every two months. I have lost track of how many times Miracle Flights has flown my son and me to Boston, but I can assure you that with every medical visit, he has continued to thrive. Miracle Flights has always been there for us and has taken the financial burden off our family.”
So I wanted to share this information with your for a couple of reasons…
One, if you have the means, there is not a better organization to make a donation to than Miracle Flights. Here in 2015, they have been awarded a “Top Rated Nonprofit” by Great Nonprofits, an industry watchdog organization (www.greatnonprofits.org). In 2014, Miracle Flights received a More Than Words award from the Harlequin organization (harlequinmorethanwords.com). The list of accolades goes on and on, including from CNN, People Magazine, and President George W. Bush’s 1,000 Points of Light Foundation. For a full list of the accolades Miracle Flights have received go to: miracleflights.org/about-us/accolades/
While you are there, check out this page: miracleflights.org/become-a-miracle-maker. This is where you can make a contribution to the organization.
Second, if you have a sick child or you have a friend who is in need of assistance in getting a child to an out-of-state hospital or medical institute, reach out to Miracle Flights for Kids. They are there to help. You can start the process by going to: miracleflights.org/how-we-help/request-a-flight.
Like I mentioned earlier, it is not often we change the subject from our intended purpose. However, this is an organization I thought all of you might want to be aware of in case you or someone you know might be in need, or if the spirit strikes you, may wish to help make these Miracle Flights possible by making a donation.
Thank you for indulging me here and I hope you and your family are never in need of their services, but if you are…
President, Timeless Communications
