General

Wings of Hope Promotes Amy Cole Buehler to President
On Aug. 8, 2023, the Wings of Hope Board of Directors announced Amy Cole Buehler as the organization’s new president.Buehler, who had been serving as interim president since December 2022, is the first woman to helm the organization which is…
Wings of Hope Receives $2.5 Million Gift from Donald and Ruth Malvern Foundation
Malvern legacy will continue to fund hope and healing for years to come Photo caption (above): Don Malvern & Larry Lemke in 2003. In the summer of 2023, Wings of Hope received two gifts totaling $2,544,565, one from the Donald…
The Piccirillis: A Wings of Hope Family Affair
When Wings of Hope’s longtime housekeeper retired this past March, Mike “Pic” Piccirilli, aircraft donation and sales representative for the organization, asked Director of Human Resources Angela Walleman if his daughter, Jenny, could take over that role. The answer was…
Wings of Hope Receives National Aviation Hall of Fame Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award
On Sept. 23, the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) presented Wings of Hope its 2022 Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award, which recognizes and rewards aerospace organizations that exemplify the positive utilization of aviation for charitable purposes or for…
FAA Honors Wings of Hope Volunteer Ed Schertz
On April 26, representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) visited the Wings of Hope hangar to present longtime volunteer and former Wings of Hope pilot, Ed Schertz, two of its most coveted awards: The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award…
Local Business Owner Donates Hangar Door Repairs
When one of our mechanics noticed a hydraulic leak on the south hangar door this past spring, our hangar crew was quick to act: A hydraulic failure could cause the door to fall. We contacted Hyspeco, a St. Louis-area company…
In the Spotlight – Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association Honors Former Board Member Butch Giessman
PHOTO: Justin Giessman & Dick Horowitz.Dick Horowitz, former chief pilot for Wings of Hope and vice president of the Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association, presented the James G. Byrnes Award posthumously to A.C. “Butch” Giessman. Butch was a longtime…
New Sign marks Wings of Hope Entrance
Materials, design and construction 100% donated PHOTO: Members of the Wings of Hope fun committee celebrate the new entrance sign.On June 1, we welcomed Wings of Hope staff and volunteers to fully return to our headquarters in Chesterfield, MO —…
What’s Going On with the 2021 Gala?
This past summer, the Wings of Hope Board of Directors formed an ad hoc development committee to tackle several important development-related projects, with a focus on how they might be impacted by Covid-19. Here is what has been decided regarding…
John “Mike” Cordell Memorial Golf Tournament to Benefit Wings of Hope
John “Mike” Cordell was a beloved Shriner and regular visitor to Wings of Hope. When he passed away suddenly in November 2018, it was a big blow to the Wings of Hope family. We knew John as the big guy…
Volunteer Hours Add Up!
In January 2019, we started tracking volunteer hours using Volgistics, a volunteer management software tool. Since then, 238 volunteers have tracked their hours, checking in and out of Wings of Hope using a touchscreen monitor every time they volunteer. Year…
Soaring to New Heights to Secure Our Future
Wings of Hope is in the midst of a major campaign to grow our endowment to secure the future of our U.S. Medical Relief & Air Transport (MAT) program. The goal of the Soaring to New Heights Endowment Campaign is…
We are the People’s Choice!
When Wings of Hope learned we had made the cut as a finalist in the St. Louis Regional Chamber’s Arcus Awards – which recognizes organizations that make St. Louis a great place to live, work and invest – we had…
Wings of Hope Visitor has Special History with 206KY
We were recently honored to receive a very special visitor. Sandy Turner’s family once owned our Cessna 206KY. The plane has toured the world saving lives. It is now in St. Louis, and our hangar crew is all-hands-on-deck getting it…
GSLBAA Luncheon Celebrates Fabick Cat’s 73 Years in Flight
The Wings of Hope hangar was a fitting venue for the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) luncheon celebrating 73 years of business aviation at Fabick Cat. Wings of Hope President Bret Heinrich and Vice President Laura Helling kicked…
Guess Who’s Turning 100?
Fabick Cat’s support of Wings of Hope began more than 50 years ago when Joe Fabick joined with three other St. Louis businessmen to raise the money to buy a metal airplane for a nun flying medical missions in Kenya.…
What’s With the Dot NGO?
You may have noticed some new letters around Wings of Hope. Three, to be precise: N, G and O. You will see them in our new website (wingsofhope.ngo) and in our new email addresses (don. hamblen@wingsofhope.ngo). Dot ngo is the…

















