Looking for an uplifting story to brighten your day? Well, I have it for you! A special project called Citation Special Olympics Airlift, organized by Cessna and its parent company Textron Aviation, brings together aircraft owners and operators to help transport Special Olympic athletes to this year’s games in high-rolling style.
For the 2014 Special Olympics, close to 700 athletes, coaches and family members arrived to Trenton, NJ via 107 Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Air Turboprops. Other business jets came from Fortune 500 companies, most of which preferred to keep their names anonymous. The airlift isn’t about P.R. and photo ops. It’s all about the athletes! Besides the aircraft owners and crews, hundreds of volunteers worked to support the 2014 airlift project. Local businesses provided hospitality tents, food, water and coffee. While hundreds of other volunteers gathered as a welcoming crowd for the arriving players. With huge smiles and proud high fives, the site never fails to lift your spirts.
“This is business aviation at its best-so many people giving their time and talents to such a worthy cause,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association, at the June event. I don’t know about you, but this might be the sweetest thing I have read online all week!
