[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10478-10479]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MIRACLE FLIGHTS FOR KIDS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today I recognize the 30th anniversary of 
Miracle Flights for Kids.
  Since its founding in southern Nevada in 1985, Miracle Flights for 
Kids has been providing airline tickets for sick children in low-income 
families. These flights are truly miracles that allow children to 
receive the specialized medical care they need and otherwise would not 
have access to due to distance and travel costs. In the beginning, 
Miracle Flights for Kids was a small organization that served a handful 
of local children, but today the organization coordinates hundreds of 
flights a month, including a record 976 flights in April 2015. To date, 
Miracle Flights for Kids has coordinated more than 92,000 flights 
resulting in 50 million miles of travel. These flights have helped to 
save and improve the quality of life for countless children.
  Families from across the country and the world contact Miracle 
Flights for Kids for assistance, and the organization works to ensure 
eligible children have access to the care they need, regardless of how 
far away the treatment center is located. They have flown children 
relatively short distances, such as flights from Nevada to California, 
and longer distances, including flights from Alaska to Colorado. They 
have even flown children from as far away as Turkey to Maryland. 
Miracle Flights for Kids also works to ensure that children can travel 
back to their treatment center as many times as their doctor deems 
necessary. For instance, they provided more than 40 flights from Ohio 
to Texas for one little girl so she

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could receive the medical attention she required.
  Having a sick child is a devastating, trying experience for any 
parent. The services provided by Miracle Flights for Kids give families 
some peace-of-mind as they focus on getting their child healthy. I 
commend Miracle Flights for Kids for 30 years of exceptional service to 
children and families in Nevada and throughout the world. Their work is 
truly appreciated and admired, and I wish them continued success for 
years to come.

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