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ST. GEORGE — A Title I school in St. George is heading into Christmas with a bunch of new school supplies, toys for kids in need, and cash donations — all thanks to dozens of pilots who flew into town Thursday.
The program allows local pilots like Hans Feugi to bring an extra dose of Christmas spirit to hundreds of elementary school kids across the state.
"And that warms everybody's heart," Feugi said. "This is festive!"
Pilots from all over Utah help transport people in remote areas to important medical treatments, free of charge, all year, as transportation costs are often just another barrier to getting health care. Then, at Christmastime, the organization gathers resources and donations from the public and pilots fly around the state for fun.
"It's a two-way street. I get this much out of it as they do it, quite frankly. And I'm very happy to be able to help," Feugi said.
It allows pilots like David Hellberg to gather cash donations, school supplies and toys from donors all over the country and take them to schools like Sunset Elementary in St. George, where high percentages of students are from families with low incomes.
"It's a little bit sad to see the people who live in outlying communities and desperately need medical care in a bigger city like Salt Lake and just can't," Hellberg said. "It's a good time. I look forward to it every year. I think all these guys do that fly down here."
It gives the kids some time with the jolly man in red, which Principal Julie Smith said all kids look forward to.
"Presents for them include clothes, coats, books," Smith said. "And I just really appreciate Angel Flight for doing this for them. We've been so excited."
"Every year it gets better, it gets bigger. The pilots are just amazing. They keep donating and donating," added Steve Bollinger, the wing leader at Utah Angel Flight West. "It just ... it doesn't get any better than that."
