Angels of Flight Gail Courneyea
By Karen Irvine Editor, ATOTK
If you know Gail Courneyea, you know that she has more energy than people half her age. She
has a heart of gold, is incredibly intelligent and has an infectious laugh. Just speaking with her makes you feel like anything is possible. If asked to describe her, I would say she is a spitfire. A situation that would paralyze anyone else is just a problem that needs solving to Gail. Gail founded Angels of Flight in 1988. This specialized health care service provider was created in response to the need for transportation to get to treatment, both locally and around the world. Global Angel Charitable Organization (GACO), was founded in 2007 to help the people who were falling through the cracks. “A lot of people who buy insurance are not covered when something happens. We recently picked up the cost of someone needing to go from Toronto to Windsor to stay with a family member, but it was going to cost $1000 for a ground ambulance. There really isn’t anywhere else to turn Gail Courneyea to when they need assistance.” Gail’s starting her business for an important reason. “If we could free up a bed in a facility in Toronto, that means we have one more bed in the province,” she says. Global Angel Charity Organization (GACO) is in memory of Gail’s daughter, Carole, who passed away from leukemia. She was a student nurse and worked with Angels of Flight. “She had to be transported by air, so it was fitting that we carried on her legacy of giving through volunteering and caring deeply for others,” says Gail. How is the Charity funded? Gail says, “We don’t get grants in Ontario, but we are grateful to receive an annual grant that comes from Alberta. For the rest of the donations, we do fund raisers. Is it enough? No. Global Angel Charity is the only Charity helping people who can’t afford the cost of medical transportation. If it was just Angels of Flight, we couldn’t do that part.” GACO is associated with Canada Helps (similar to Go Fund Me). When you donate, you get a charitable receipt right away. With Go Fund Me, there are no tax receipts. Angels of Flight created the Halo Med Card. Gail says, “This card enables us to get information we need right away. You can’t fly on an air ambulance without your health card number, and you won’t get a bed. A portion of the sale of the card goes to Global Angel Charity. We encourage everyone - don’t leave it up to your children to deal with this, buy a Halo Med Card.” There is also a free App for your phone and it instantly tells us your GPS location. You can also type in what the problem is and within 30 seconds we have that message,” she says. Fund raising events have been cancelled due to Covid-19, so if you can find it in your heart to help, donations would be greatly appreciated. You can go online where there is a donate button on the home page. When you donate, you will immediately get a tax receipt. You can also use your credit card or send a cheque. I asked Gail if she will ever retire. “It’s a passion that you get in your blood. Do I need to retire?” (She laughs) “I used to do the flying, but I’m not out there anymore. Gail was once in an air ambulance accident with Elaine, one of her Nurses. We were flying in to pick up a patient, and the landing gear wasn’t down on the plane. But we were good, because we learned safety training. I tell my staff to take what we tell you seriously, accidents happen.” Page 34
www.globalangelcharity.com
Peterborough, ON
(705) 740-2645
