Dan Hennigan isn’t used to facing The Impossible. The retired army officer, retired corporate executive and, now, full-time professional volunteer has spent his entire life Making Things Happen. But, Dan and his 35-year-old software engineer son Brian, who suffers from the rare blood disease anterior vascular malformations, needed transport from their local Columbia, SC hospital to Durham, NC’s Duke University Hospital for much-needed treatment and consultation...fast. Lucky for Dan and Brian, Paul Mengert likes to Make Things Happen too. Mengert, President of AMG, Association Management Group in Greensboro, one of the Carolinas’ largest professional homeowners association managers, flew the Hennigans to Duke and back as a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight Soars, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that recruits pilots to fly medical missions throughout the south. “Paul and Angel Flight Soars made something happen in hours that usually takes weeks and we’re so grateful,” Hennigan said. “Paul’s personality was refreshing and he was very sensitive to the situation. It’s easy to understand why he’s a successful entrepreneur: he’s a caring and giving person.”
Since 1983, Angel Flight Soars has connected more than 32,000 families to life-saving medical care: from burn victims needing skin grafts to cancer patients traveling to special treatment centers to hopeful recipients awaiting transplant organs. AFS flies more than 2500 missions a year with 1000 pilot volunteers. “Paul joined us in 2009 and is an amazing volunteer. We’re so happy he spends his off time helping other people,” said Bernadette Darnell, AFS Director of Mission Operations. “Paul is a backbone of our organization. Thanks to his tireless dedication and passion for our patients, we are able to be a silver lining to families who need assistance with medical care.”
Mengert enjoys pairing aviation with service. Along with delivering patients to the care they need via AFS, his high-flying adventures include multiple trips to deliver beds, toys and clothes to an orphanage in Haiti. “Angel Flight Soars is one of the ways AMG gives back to the community,” Mengert noted. “Over the last five years, I have flown various patients to and from medical treatments. We make travel doable by turning five to ten hours of driving into just an hour’s flight. I always fly conservatively but, particularly with Angel Flights, I try to avoid bumpy weather whenever possible, even if it means flying a little out of the way. I also like to make sure the landings are really smooth; I know these passengers are often hurting and don’t need any more aggravation. It feels good to help patients get expert medical treatment at locations they otherwise would not be able to travel to.” Mengert is quick to point out that a wide variety of aeronautical service companies support Angel Flight Soars and deserve a shout-out for the Hennigan flight. Landmark Aviation waived fees and discounted fuel at both their Greensboro and Raleigh/Durham, NC locations and Eagle Aviation of Columbia, SC was an instrumental partner in the transport.
“Saying ‘thank you’ is not enough,” Hennigan concluded. “I know the difference between ‘I’ll look into it’ and ‘I’ll make it happen.’ Paul and the AFS crew really connected with our need. When need and intention come together, it works. In my world of charity and 9-11 work, it’s a great feeling to help somebody. It’s not so much how much you give but when you give that makes the difference. This was a case of perfect timing.” For more about Angel Flight Soars, to volunteer as a pilot, request a flight or make a donation, visit www.angelflightsoars.org or call 1.877.4anAngel.
You can contact Paul at:
Paul Mengert
Association Management Group
614 W Friendly Ave, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
(888) 908-4264
pmengert@amgworld.com
www.AMGworld.com
No comments:
Post a Comment