Wings of Hope (charity)

Wings of Hope is a nonprofit organization that partners with organizations in ten countries outside of the U.S. to provide medical evacuation flights and access to health care for remote communities. Wings of Hope also provides free medical air transportation to people within a 900-mile radius of its St. Louis headquarters. Wings of Hope has been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and holds a 4-star rating on Charity Navigator. In 2019, Wings of Hope directly served nearly 73,000 people worldwide.
History.
Wings of Hope was founded by four businessmen from St. Louis, Missouri—William Edwards, Joseph Fabick (Fabick Tractor Company), Paul Rodgers (V.P., Ozark Air Lines), and George Haddaway—who had heard of a young woman, Sister Michael Therese Ryan, who was the pilot of a small, fabric-covered Piper PA-18 Super Cub in the Turkana region of Kenya. The story of Sister Ryan using aircraft to bring relief to impoverished famine victims in a vast, remote region of Kenya inspired the men to raise money for a stronger, all-metal aircraft to better aid the effort.
After the founders raised the necessary capital for a new Cessna U206, legendary aviator Max Conrad piloted the plane across the Atlantic from St. Louis to Nairobi. The story was well-publicized and brought about a large response from the international community – from people seeking assistance and needing aircraft, to those who wanted to help by offering their time, money and services. From this initial effort of four men on a mission to help those in need, Wings of Hope has grown into a global aviation nonprofit working in 48 countries since its birth in 1963.
Programs.
Wings of Hope partners with local organizations in ten countries outside of the U.S., using aviation to help them deliver health care resources to isolated communities. As of 2021, Wings of Hope operated in Belize, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Medical Relief and Air Transport Program.
Through its Medical Relief and Air Transport Program, Wings of Hope provides free medical flights within a 900-mile radius of its St. Louis-area headquarters. In a typical year, the organization flies more than 200 patients and their caregivers to medical care.
Soar into STEM.
Wings of Hope's Soar into STEM program provides middle and high school students project-based learning connections to STEM curriculum, as well as education on Wings of Hope's activities.