The Aero Experience Guest Post: Wings of Hope Young Ambassadors

The Aero Experience periodically publishes guest posts from one of our sponsors or aviation media partners. Today we feature an update from the Wings of Hope Young Ambassadors from their current President, Liz Burns.

Who are we?

The Young Ambassadors are a group of young professionals that supports Wings of Hope’s global humanitarian programs. Our goal is to engage, empower, and inspire young professionals to create cross-cultural connections and help address global problems. We accomplish this by planning and executing fundraising events, by scheduling social events to network and recruit new members, and by working together to increase awareness of Wings of Hope in our community. Simply put, we love to have fun while supporting Wings of Hope’s mission to change and save lives through the power of aviation!

Upcoming Events

Our annual Taste of Hope event is scheduled for Saturday, September 26^th and will be hosted at the Wings of Hope airplane hangar in Chesterfield, MO. Attendees will be able to sample taste-sized portions of food and alcohol from supporting restaurants and breweries while enjoying music, a silent auction, and an overall good time! All money raised will go towards Wings of Hope’s international programs. 


Our Trivia Night will once again be hosted in partnership with the Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association (GSLFIA). This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, November 14^th with a theme of Aviation Cinema – get ready to test your knowledge of the classic comedy Airplane! and other aviation-themed films! All proceeds will support GSLFIA and Wings of Hope.

Tickets for both events can be purchased at https://wingsofhope.ngo/events.

What international programs are we supporting this year?

This year, the funds raised by the Young Ambassadors will be supporting two of Wings of Hope’s international partners – Samaritan Aviation in Papua New Guinea and Patrulla Aerea Civil Colombiana in Colombia. The funds provided to Samaritan Aviation will be used to expand their missions to the southern region of the island. Their missions include emergency evacuation services, medical supply delivery, vaccine administration, and community health initiatives. Patrulla Aerea Civil Colombiana provides medical consultations and surgical procedures to remote areas of Colombia via monthly medical brigades. The funds provided by the Young Ambassadors will be used to set up a telemedicine platform for post-surgical care.

Past Events

In 2019, the Young Ambassadors were able to raise over $30,000!  The funds were allocated to Wings of Hope’s partners in Zambia, Ecuador, and Belize to support orthopedic and reconstructive surgical services and medical evacuation flights. Last year’s fundraising events included Taste of Hope and our James Bond-themed Trivia Night, as well as a Dine-to-Donate Happy Hour at Granite City Food & Brewery and a Charity Challenge with Prana Yoga. 

Editor's note:

The Aero Experience applauds the work of the Wings of Hope Young Ambassadors, and encourages our audience to support their work by attending the fundraisers mentioned above or donating to Wings of Hope.