The video will tell passengers what the organization does, how to donate money and how to get involved.
But Coastsiders don't have to fly to get all that information. They can just stop by the nonprofit's headquarters in Moss Beach.
 Airline Ambassadors founder Nancy Rivard is surrounded by devastation in Slidell, La., in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. |
The vision for the organization stems all the way back to 1992 and the Earth Summit that year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rivard attended the conference with a number of people associated with the airline industry. Also there was the man who would become her husband, Dave Rivard. He was representing some environmental interests at the conference.
"I was aware of how naïve I was then, because it made me realize that it takes all of these groups working together to really make a difference," Dave Rivard said. "The organization just blossomed out from there."
The group officially became a nonprofit organization in 1996, and began fund-raising in earnest. Rivard says the group is unique in that it is the only organization that leverages the resources of the airline industry to aid children and families in the developing world.
The group gets airlines to donate planes, fuel, and more to help the cause. Jet Blue donates use of a 757 every month.
Since the founding of the organization the group has delivered more than $18 million worth of medicine, medical supplies, school supplies, clothing and food to countries around the world.
In addition, the group has domestic programs to benefit communities such as a Hurricane Katrina aid program and one to benefit an American Indian reservation in South Dakota.
The group is, in large part, made up of pilots, ground crew, flight attendants and other people involved in the airline industry. But Rivard says they are hoping to attract more members from the general public, and the Coastside isn't a bad place to start.
"You do this kind of thing because of the passion you have to help others," Rivard said. "But I always tell everyone to make no mistake about it: it's a rich man's sport. It's like any other hobby that you take money out of your pocket to do."
Dave Rivard can often be found in the office with Natalie Matrazzo, who runs the administration and membership, and Director of Development John Barkis.
Barkis said he's currently focusing on raising awareness for the Jazz for Peace concern in San Francisco, an event that will benefit the organization. He's also working on getting the organization a President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Grant. It would help the organization's efforts in places like Haiti.
U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, a name familiar to Coastsiders, serves on the organization's board, as does his wife.
For more on Airline Ambassadors International visit the Web site at www.airlineamb.org.
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