The Corporate Angel Network (CAN) concluded its 37th year in service this month with the celebration of topping its 57,000th flight, the raising of nearly $300,000 from its annual NBAA charity event, and an expansion of its partnership with NetJets.

A charitable organization that arranges free flights for cancer patients aboard business jets, CAN reached the 57,000 mark in September, less than 18 months after it commemorated the 50,000th flight in April 2016. By the end of this year that number was closer to 58,000, and in 2018 alone, the number of flights will reach 3,000. The thousands of flights now flown each year come with the support of more than 500 corporations, including half of the Fortune 100.

Also supporting that organization is NBAA, which annually hosts an event to raise funds for the charity. This year’s Angel Cocktail Reception event was held on October 17 in Orlando in conjunction with the 2018 NBAA-BACE. A centerpiece of the event is a live auction conducted by renowned auctioneer "Spanky" Assiter, who orchestrated bidding on items such as an exclusive Super Bowl package, trips to exotic destinations, and other aviation experiences. One such experience included a P-51 Mustang orientation ride.

Earlier in the year, NetJets, which has supported CAN since 1997, expanded its participation, providing opportunities that would potentially double the amount of its participating flights. In addition, NetJets worked to arrange lodging and ground transportation.

“We’re so grateful to the business aviation community for its enthusiastic support of CAN’s mission of providing transportation for patients to cancer care centers,” said CAN executive director Gina Russo. “Every CAN flight depends on a team of corporate partners and donors, committed to our mission, who take action to help our patients in their time of need.”