'Up in the fluffy clouds ... cancer couldn't touch' little boy: Peoria group delivers hope

PEORIA — Six million miles flown. Nine thousand missions undertaken.

Hundreds of volunteer pilots who use their own private planes and donate their time and the cost of fuel.

And thousands of financially distressed passengers with medical needs flown free for treatment.

That's what LifeLine Pilots has provided since its inception in 1981 in Champaign. And the Peoria-based nonprofit wants to do more.

To that end, LifeLine is participating in the 2021 A Community Thrives program, a $2.3 million initiative of the Gannett Foundation. Nonprofit and municipal organizations first raise money on their own through a crowdfunding campaign challenge, then are eligible for one of 15 national grants of up to $100,000. Separate incentives aimed at rewarding high-fundraising projects are offered.

'A Community Thrives': Gannett Foundation calls for applications in national, local crowdfunding and grant program

What is LifeLine Pilots?

LifeLine serves 10 states in the Midwest and Upper South. It is believed to be the oldest volunteer pilot organization of its kind. The group's crowdfunding campaign ended July 26.

"While we didn't win the ... challenge, the positive impact has been increased outreach and crowdsource fundraising of more than $5,000 to fund our mission," said Lindsey Kerr of Germantown Hills, the executive director of LifeLine Pilots.

LifeLine remains eligible for both a $100,000 national grant and an incentive grant of up to $25,000 for its ongoing mission. Winners will be chosen by Gannett's USA TODAY Network. (The Journal Star is a Gannett newspaper.)

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Rewarding work

Ann Rude of Peoria is LifeLine Pilots' mission and grant coordinator. She facilitates flights between patients, their doctors, pilots and hospitals providing treatment. 

For her, the job can be bittersweet.

She recalled a man in his 40s with terminal cancer who was living in Minnesota. He didn't want to die alone. He couldn't afford a commercial flight and was too sick to endure ground travel. As a humanitarian mission, LifeLine flew him to Tennessee, where he passed away in the company of family. 

"It's sad," Rude said. "But it can give them some comfort. If our service can ease their burden, it's worth it."

Another passenger, 2-year-old Aiden McWhorter of Indianapolis, needed treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. LifeLine and another volunteer pilot organization worked together to get him there. Aiden flew multiple trips with LifeLine Pilots.

Aiden's mother, Sarah McWhorter, told LifeLine's Kerr, "Even if cancer claimed him, he's had these hours up in the fluffy clouds, in his private plane, where cancer couldn't touch him."

Rude said the boy, now 3, survived and is "doing great."

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The best reason to fly

In addition to their humanitarian and medical missions, LifeLine pilots delivered needed materials after 9/11. They delivered masks and personal protective equipment to Native American reservations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have participated in relief efforts for natural disasters by transporting volunteers and supplies to areas of need.

Andy Zich of Peoria is a LifeLine pilot and a member of the group's board of directors.

Based out of Mt. Hawley Airport in Peoria, he flies a Piper Lance, a six-seat, single-engine plane. 

He recalled a passenger from Indiana who "must have thanked me 10 times on a short, one-hour flight. Despite her medical issues, she was incredibly grateful for the flight and appreciated the opportunity to fly in a small plane, which she said was an opportunity she had not ever had in her life."

Zich, who works for Caterpillar's Cat Solutions group, volunteered to share his hobby of aviation with others.

"As pilots, we are often looking for reasons to fly, and there is no other reason to fly that is more rewarding than a LifeLine Pilots flight," he said.

Recipients of A Community Thrives grants will be announced Sept. 30.

LifeLine Pilots is a 501 (c)(3) organization that is privately funded by individuals, corporations and foundations. To learn more about the free LifeLine Pilots service, visit the group's website, www.lifelinepilots.org.