Hope Air Recognizes Prince George Airport Authority with Philanthropist Award

*RELEASED BY HOPE AIR*

Vancouver, BC – Yesterday evening, national charity Hope Air awarded its annual Outstanding Philanthropist Award for a member of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC) to Prince George Airport Authority as part of the annual CAC conference in Vancouver.

The Hope Air Outstanding Philanthropist Award recognizes a member of the CAC with a proven record of exceptional generosity and which, through either direct financial support or in-kind donations, has demonstrated outstanding civic and charitable responsibility.

Hope Air has been the beneficiary of the Prince George Airport Authority’s charity golf tournament since 2011. In that time, more than $25,000 has been donated to the charity as a result of the tournaments. The Airport Authority also donates ad space to Hope Air inside the airport to help educate travellers about the charity’s mission.

“Prince George is one of the most frequently used departure airports by Hope Air Clients,” said Hope Air Executive Director Doug Keller-Hobson. “The fundraising the Airport Authority does directly impacts many residents of Northern British Columbia. The donated airport ad space helps build awareness for Hope Air, and encourages others to be philanthropic.”

“Without this support, we would not be able to arrange nearly as many flights as we do from the Prince George Airport.”

In 2014, over 1,000 flights were arranged to and from Prince George Airport for Hope Air Clients. The majority of these flights were for treatment in Vancouver, but Clients also flew from Prince George to Alberta and other British Columbia cities for vital medical care.

John Gibson, President and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority was present at the conference and accepted the award on behalf of the company. “We are absolutely honoured Hope Air chose us as the recipient of this great award,” said Gibson. “I am accepting this award on behalf of the Prince George Airport, but it really belongs to our entire airport community who continues to support this great cause. Hope Air is a charity very close to our hearts and we are all very fortunate this service is available. We are incredibly humbled and this pushes us even further to raise even more money for those needing out of town medical attention.”

About Hope Air

Hope Air is the unique national charity which arranges free flights for Canadians who are in financial need and must travel long-distance to healthcare. Clients need to meet some eligibility requirements, which can be checked at www.hopeair.ca. Since its start in 1986, the charity has provided over 91,000 flights with the generous support from commercial airlines, corporations, foundations and individual donors.