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It Can and It Is
One of the constant advertisements in various business journals and other publications is an ad by something called the Corporate Angel Network, Inc.
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| A Cancer Patient and Mother Flying Free!! |
This group is continually trumpeting the great charitable work of its organizers. That work is to allow cancer patients and their families to fly free on corporate jets. The qualification (there is one, of course) is that there has to be empty seats on the corporate jets.
So make sure you understand what is going on here. A company has a corporate jet that is flying from Point A to Point B. If you are a cancer patient and their family and if you have to get from Point A to Point B and if you are going at the same time a corporate jet is making that trip and if, and this is critical, there are empty seats on that jet so that there is absolutely zero cost to the company for giving up those seats, then they will fly you at no cost from Point A to Point B.
You have to dress right also. ("Patients arrive suitably dressed for business travel one hour before departure" according to the web site.) There is no indication that any cancer patient or their family was ever kicked off a flight for not wearing business casual, but the threat is there, isn't it. Presumably there are guidelines for how to dress a six year old cancer patient for "business travel". That is what is really important in all this
Of course, it is not enough to just provide this zero cost (to providers) charity. They have to publicize their generosity by spending tens of thousands of dollars on advertising, tens of thousands which could have spent on something like, well, maybe on providing transportation for needy children and their families to health care facilities.
In the Friday July 29 Wall Street Journal half page ad the Corporate Angel Network proudly states they have flown 30,000 flights in 30 years, an astounding 1,000 flights per year that cost the providers of those flights absolutely nothing. That is something worth spending thousands to advertise, isn’t it.
But wait, there's more. The group that sponsors these flights is begging for money. That's right, they want your charitable contributions!
"Corporate Angel Network, a public charity as described in the Internal Revenue Service's IRC sections ß509 (a) (1) and ß170 (b) (1) (a) (vi), is supported entirely by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations. There are many ways to support our program with a tax-deductible donation, and we invite you to select from the choices below."
And here we have a nice testimonial from the former Marshal of Dodge City.
"Every time there has been a patient on a flight I'm on, it's been exciting and fun to talk to them. Last year, I had a little boy on board who was a fantastic fellow. I've communicated with his family since then. It's a great experience that I hope other companies will understand and follow up on."
– John T. Dillon,
Former Chairman and CEO, International Paper
And here we have a nice testimonial from the former Marshal of Dodge City.
"Every time there has been a patient on a flight I'm on, it's been exciting and fun to talk to them. Last year, I had a little boy on board who was a fantastic fellow. I've communicated with his family since then. It's a great experience that I hope other companies will understand and follow up on."
– John T. Dillon,
Former Chairman and CEO, International Paper
Gosh thanks Mr. Dillon. Doc and Kitty and Chester and Festus are sure grateful to you also.
“Dismal” might be a good description of the author of this piece about Corporate Angel Network but it’s actually the opposite of how everyone who has ever been involved in Corporate Angels mission would describe this nonprofit.
ReplyDeleteThe author would be well advised to check the facts before denigrating an organization that does so much good.
1. Corporate Angel Network (CAN) flies cancer patients TO AND FROM TREATMENT (only) all over the country using empty seats in corporate jets flying on corporate business.
2. The Wall Street Journal ad referred to, along with hundreds of other advertisements that are periodically run by major publications are run on a pro bono basis. CAN does not spend a nickel for those ads…not even for their preparation. Publications are doing so because they understand the value of CAN’s service and want to help get the message out to those patients who can be helped.
3. It’s ridiculous to infer that CAN requires a six year old to dress business casual or that anyone would be kicked off a flight if not in proper attired. These patients, however, are flying with upper management of major corporations and CAN wants to emphasize that patients should dress appropriately.
4. All charities need donations to accomplish their missions. We’re no exception, however, we run on an extremely low budget (our offices and many services are donated). Most of our financial donations come from within the aviation community and we do not aggressively seek funds.
5. To attack John Dillon, the former head of International Paper, for helping our effort is pathetic.
6. Corporate Angel Network flies between 250 and 300 cancer patients to critical treatment each month. We’re able to do this thanks to the generosity of more than 500 major corporations, including half of the fortune 100, who offer empty seats on their routine business flights. We’re now in our 30th year and fly more than 3,000 patients annually…approaching 40,000 patients in total.
This article is an unprofessional hatchet job about a fine organization. After reading this reply, I hope the author has the guts to write a retraction.
Peter H Fleiss
Executive Director
Corporate Angel Network
“Dismal” might be a good description of the author of this piece about Corporate Angel Network but it’s actually the opposite of how everyone who has ever been involved in Corporate Angels mission would describe this nonprofit.
ReplyDeleteThe author would be well advised to check the facts before denigrating an organization that does so much good.
1. Corporate Angel Network (CAN) flies cancer patients TO AND FROM TREATMENT (only) all over the country using empty seats in corporate jets flying on corporate business.
2. The Wall Street Journal ad referred to, along with hundreds of other advertisements that are periodically run by major publications are run on a pro bono basis. CAN does not spend a nickel for those ads…not even for their preparation. Publications are doing so because they understand the value of CAN’s service and want to help get the message out to those patients who can be helped.
3. It’s ridiculous to infer that CAN requires a six year old to dress business casual or that anyone would be kicked off a flight if not in proper attired. These patients, however, are flying with upper management of major corporations and CAN wants to emphasize that patients should dress appropriately.
4. All charities need donations to accomplish their missions. We’re no exception, however, we run on an extremely low budget (our offices and many services are donated). Most of our financial donations come from within the aviation community and we do not aggressively seek funds.
5. To attack John Dillon, the former head of International Paper, for helping our effort is pathetic.
6. Corporate Angel Network flies between 250 and 300 cancer patients to critical treatment each month. We’re able to do this thanks to the generosity of more than 500 major corporations, including half of the fortune 100, who offer empty seats on their routine business flights. We’re now in our 30th year and fly more than 3,000 patients annually…approaching 40,000 patients in total.
This article is an unprofessional hatchet job about a fine organization. After reading this reply, I hope the author has the guts to write a retraction.
Peter H Fleiss
Executive Director
Corporate Angel Network