Yorkton was the landing spot for Hope Air’s biggest fundraiser last week.
Hope Air’s pilots and members all met at the Yorkton airport for the ‘Give Hope Wings’ expedition fundraiser.
Dr. Cornelius Spies explains more about the fundraiser.
“A bunch of private pilots they started Give Hope Wings about three years ago. It’s an organization of small private pilots doing expeditions and fundraising by flying,” he said. “This is the fourth expedition, and we are hoping to raise $500,000 on this trip.”
The expedition started in Boundry Bay in British Columbia but was then diverted to Drum heller. From Yorkton, the pilots went to Thompson, Manitoba, then turned around at Churchill at the Hudson Bay before making their way back to Boundry Bay.
Spies said that the money raised on the expedition goes directly to the patients.
“It’s going to patients in financial need and helps cover travel and hotel expenses for those patients that need the far-off medical appointments,” he said. “It’s normally people that have an income of less than $30,000 and have to travel more than five hours by car to get to a medical appointment.
For Spies he recently flew his first flight for Hope Air, flying a patient from up north to Saskatoon and back again. Something Spies said was ‘the most important flight of my life.’
