On Oct. 11 and 12, Oris, the Swiss watchmaker that launched the Limited Edition Wings of Hope Big Crown Pilot’s Watch this past summer, invited trade media and watch retailers to Wings of Hope to learn more about the watch and Wings of Hope.
The two-day event began with media spending the day at Wings of Hope for an up-close view of the organization’s mission and to learn the story behind the Oris-Wings of Hope partnership.
“Oris is a shining example of a company who is doing well by doing good,” says Wings of Hope President and CEO Bret Heinrich. “They care deeply about using their high-quality products and respected brand to shine more light into the world. Wings of Hope is proud to partner with Oris.”
On day two, more than 70 watch retailers visited Wings of Hope’s headquarters at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The meeting kicked off with remarks from Heinrich, followed by a video featuring the watch during a recent trip to Wings of Hope’s partner in Ecuador, Alas de Socorro, by Heinrich and a Wings of Hope team. Long-serving volunteers and former Wings of Hope pilots, Ed Schertz and Jay Rickmeyer, provided a brief history of the organization’s Medical Relief & Air Transport (MAT) Program against the backdrop of the MAT Program’s very first plane, a Cessna 206. MAT pilot, Phil Koch, joined Director of Human Resources and the MAT Program Angela Walleman and Aircraft Maintenance Manager Steve Johnson in showcasing the newest addition to the MAT fleet, a Piper Navajo, which has increased the MAT Program’s flight range to an 800-mile radius from the nonprofit’s St. Louis headquarters — besting by 200 miles the flight range of the fleet’s two Senecas.
The two-day event concluded with the watch dealers joining Wings of Hope staff and volunteers in packing meals for Kids Against Hunger.
