A succession of financial scandals has meant corporate America has not enjoyed the best of reputations in recent years. But one initiative that proves big business can have a big heart is the Corporate Angel Network. The New York State-based organisation makes use of spare seats on business aircraft to provide free transport for cancer patients, flying them from airports close to their home to treatment centres around the USA.
Cancer survivor
CAN was founded in 1981 by cancer survivors Priscilla Blum and Jay Weinberg, together with Leonard Greene, founder of Safe Flight Instrument. He had lost his wife to the disease and used a foundation set up in her memory and his aviation contacts to get the charity started. Twenty-six years on, CAN has just carried its 20,000th patient and typically flies around 250 a month, a fifth of them children who travel with both parents. Without CAN's help, many of them - especially individuals with rare forms of cancer - would not be able to get access to the best care, much of it innovative treatments being offered by specialist teams in clinical trials at major hospitals.
"Some of our patients would face a four-day drive and many cannot cope with regular airline travel, either because they don't have the energy to handle all the stress or they have a depleted immune system that would mean them risking catching something travelling commercially," says executive director Peter Fleiss. "Quite simply, they would not get the treatment they need to prolong their lives."
More than half of the Fortune 100 biggest corporations in the USA "and a good chunk of the Fortune 500" take part in the CAN programme. Many shun publicity, but others are keen to show their support. Retail giant Wal-Mart, for instance, a CAN participant since 1989, has just donated $25,000 to the organisation. Other senior figures in the business aviation manufacturing community are supporters: Cessna chief executive Jack Pelton and Dassault Falcon president John Rosanvallon are both on the charity's board of directors. Hawker Beechcraft recently gave a cheque for $50,000 on top of recent donations totalling $100,000.
For corporate leaders, used to being whisked by business jet and chauffeur-driven car from one high-powered meeting to the next, the experience of having a cancer patient as a fellow passenger can put the concerns of running a multi-billion dollar business into perspective. "Many of our chief executives follow up with the patients over many years," says Fleiss. Pilots get involved too, often offering to drive the patients home from the airport. "It's a feel-good operation for all involved," he says.
Weekly schedules
This is how the system works: CAN's members' flight departments send their weekly flying schedules to the organisation's offices at Westchester County airport. CAN's five employees, helped by 50 volunteers, enter these into a secure database and match them with more than 5,000 requests a year from individuals or medical teams for transport. CAN then arranges the logistics, making sure that the captain and the "senior-level passenger" on the flight have approved it. Patients must be able to walk on to the aircraft unaided and not rely on life-support systems or special treatment during the flight. "They are going your way and you don't have to go out of your way to give them a lift," says the charity's marketing material: "An empty seat is a lost opportunity."
CAN raises its funds from corporate donations, raffles and sporting events - a recent golf and tennis tournament in Virginia netted $127,000 - while Westchester County airport provides its office. In addition, an advertising agency and public relations firm both donate their services and the National Business Aviation Association is among several industry organisations providing their backing. "We are heavily supported by the aviation industry," says Fleiss.
Despite its success, however, CAN cannot match the demand for its services and needs the corporate community to donate as many spare seats as possible. Ironically, as more cures for different types of cancer are developed, the more local medical professionals are keen to refer their patients to specialist centres. And, because only one hospital in the country might offer a specific treatment, the need for speedy, comfortable, long-distance transport is paramount.
In return for their involvement, users of business aviation can feel that they have provided a vital service to society, according to Steve Reinemund, former chairman and chief executive of PepsiCo. "Corporate Angel Network enables you to turn an unused seat into a wonderful humanitarian gesture," he says. "I think it's a great opportunity for any company with an aircraft and a heart."
A cancer patient from Memphis, who has used the Corporate Angel service, adds simply: "It has meant more to me than the important air transportation provided by the participating corporations. It has personalised corporate America for me."
Source: Flight International
