Honoring those who help
Annual Endeavor Awards recognize volunteer pilots
An airshow pilot, energy drink company, and two humanitarian pilots were honored May 17 in grand affair during the annual Endeavor Awards in Los Angeles.
Inspiration Awards were presented to Sean D. Tucker and Red Bull, and Endeavor Awards were presented to Gary Dyson, chief pilot for Orbis, and Merry Schroeder, the “longest-serving volunteer pilot” with conservation group LightHawk. Endeavor Award recipients exemplify performance that “exceeds expectations and distinguishes the nominee from others.”
Schroeder has “made (and donated, no reimbursement) 387 LightHawk flights to date," the website says of her dedication to the group. She has also volunteered with other humanitarian organizations, including two Angel Flight wings, making 215 flights.
Since 2014, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood has lent its rarified atmosphere to the Endeavor Awards to honor volunteer pilots across the nation. The brainchild of movie and TV mogul Mark Wolper, the Endeavor Awards uses pageantry and pizzazz to recognize pilots who use their aircraft for humanitarian purposes. It’s a black-tie event with Hollywood stars as hosts, speakers, and guests. The May 17 ceremony boasted another star-studded audience and special guests including host Kate Flannery from the television show The Office. Six U.S. astronauts also attended.
The event is situated in the dramatic space shuttle pavilion of the California Science Center, and guests dine under the belly of the shuttle Endeavour. The event ends on a grand note with a rousing performance by a California high school marching band, but the people the Endeavor Awards honor are the true stars. The event brings pilots and their passengers on stage for emotional tributes.
“The Endeavor Awards celebrate and honor volunteer pilots and provide support to the organizations that coordinate their gifts of flight to serve those in need,” according to the website. “Every year thousands of donated flights save lives, provide access to medical care, transport veterans, rescue animals, map environmental data, aid in disaster relief and contribute to the public good in communities nationwide.”
The Endeavor Awards were established by Angel Flight West, a volunteer pilot organization that Wolper flies for and that arranges more than 4,000 flights each year in 13 western states. Angel Flight West and Wolper recognized the need for a national platform to increase awareness and support for the use of aviation by individual pilots and their commercial airline partners to provide free transportation for humanitarian purposes.
Past winners have included pilots who provided life-saving transportation to children suffering from rare forms of cancer and disease, pilots who dedicate their time to find new homes for animals destined to kill shelters, and pilots who help veterans get medical treatment in hospitals far from their homes.
