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Local Angel Flight Volunteer Shares Store Of Haiti Relief With Kiwanis Club
"The most critical need is for tents, tarps, rice, beans
and tools such as hammers and chisels." So says
Phillip North, volunteer pilot with the Angel Flight
programs, when he recently took time out of also serving
as a partner/attorney with the North, Pursell, Ramos &
Jameson, PLC, firm to share his story of relief service
to Haiti.
Angel Flights is a group that provides non-emergency airplane flights free of charge to and from treatment facilities for patients. North's humanitarian flight was to provide help to those devastated by the January 12, 2010, earthquake that rocked Haiti. North explained, "We took off from south Florida and flew through the Bermuda Triangle to carry not only badly needed medical supplies, but also five doctors, to Port Au Prince. From there, they were to be transported to makeshift hospitals, where they would provide the most care."
The flight was not without problems. Said North, "I was actually found to be carrying too much weight. That meant that we had to take three hours to land the plane, so that we could drain approximately 45 gallons of gas in order to get back in the air and stay there without risk." Landing was difficult because of the language barrier, and while North was waiting to return to the skies, he watched a constant stream of helicopters delivering medical supplies, water and food to languishing Haitians.
While the experience is one that he will never forget, from beginning to end, North's flight home from Haiti to the U.S. was one that holds special meeting for him. "I brought back orphans, some who have been waiting five years, to be adopted by wonderfully caring families."
North has been a member of Angel Flights stable of pilots for some years. Of his usual 'cargo,' he says, "About half of the patients we serve are children. Often, our patients do not have local treatment options, the illness has become a huge financial strain, or maybe he or she lives in a remote location." Angel Flight also provides natural relief efforts. Its volunteer pilots flew over 450 flights to help the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, and most recently, Haiti.
So, why does North spend so many hours volunteering with the Angel Fight network of dedicated men and women? The answer is: "I simply love to fly! It's a great thing in life when you can both indulge your passion and help someone in need, at the same time."
KIWANIS CLUB OF MADISON TN * P.O.
BOX 1751 * MADISON, TN 37115
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