ANG-BIRMINGHAM AL- "Giving
children faced with serious illness the experience and joy of flight which
pilots feel privileged to share" is the motto for Dreams on Wings. Area
pilots donate their planes and time to fly each child and their family for a 45
-minute ride around town. That is the highlight of the days events but there is
so much more.
Hundreds of volunteers both from the ANG, the host, and community gather to make it a day where fun and relaxation explodes smiles into laughter. Designed to be a day of escape into a choice of many fantasies and activities there is scarcely enough time to enjoy it all.
"Our goal every year is to give kids and their families who are fighting serious illnesses the thrill of flight. We have been doing this for 12 years now and over 2,000 kids and their families have gotten to fly. But it has also grown into a day off. We have food and music, limo rides and just a fun day for the families. These kids and their families are going through a battle of life," said Mike Hainsey, Dreams on Wings event organizer.
This year several dozen youth and their families went for a flight and spent a day that some have come to count on to return.
" I am a Member of the Air National Guard, that's how I heard about it [Dreams on Wings] originally and this is the first chance I've had to volunteer. A lot of the other volunteers are people that I know and they have really enjoyed it and told me how great it was. It's been a good time, helping families has really been rewarding. It's service and is combined with airplanes which is something I really love. It is definitely worth it and I plan to be a repeat," says Stormy Muse, a first time Dreams on Wings Volunteer. -B Meyer, FMI: www.DreamsonWings.org is sponsored by the 117th ARW (Alabama ANG and many others).
Hundreds of volunteers both from the ANG, the host, and community gather to make it a day where fun and relaxation explodes smiles into laughter. Designed to be a day of escape into a choice of many fantasies and activities there is scarcely enough time to enjoy it all.
"Our goal every year is to give kids and their families who are fighting serious illnesses the thrill of flight. We have been doing this for 12 years now and over 2,000 kids and their families have gotten to fly. But it has also grown into a day off. We have food and music, limo rides and just a fun day for the families. These kids and their families are going through a battle of life," said Mike Hainsey, Dreams on Wings event organizer.
This year several dozen youth and their families went for a flight and spent a day that some have come to count on to return.
" I am a Member of the Air National Guard, that's how I heard about it [Dreams on Wings] originally and this is the first chance I've had to volunteer. A lot of the other volunteers are people that I know and they have really enjoyed it and told me how great it was. It's been a good time, helping families has really been rewarding. It's service and is combined with airplanes which is something I really love. It is definitely worth it and I plan to be a repeat," says Stormy Muse, a first time Dreams on Wings Volunteer. -B Meyer, FMI: www.DreamsonWings.org is sponsored by the 117th ARW (Alabama ANG and many others).