HELINET AVIATION BUYS HELICOPTER FOR LOCAL HOSPITAL.

Byline: DIANA PEYTON Community Columnist

Alan and Kathryn Purwin, owners of Helinet Aviation Services in Van Nuys, have purchased a $1.7 million Sikorsky S-76 helicopter for the Emergency Transport Team at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

``Our goal is to save kids, and we realized the community had a need for specialized transport care,'' Alan Purwin said.

Helinet has been a provider of charter service flights for organ transport teams.

``My wife and I decided it would be great to give back to the community by providing a service with a better response time for Childrens Hospital,'' the Thousand Oaks resident said.

Helinet owns the news helicopter that crashed after leaving the Academy Awards last weekend, injuring the pilot and a cameraman. The pilot has said the copter's hydraulic system failed.

Judy Sherif, administrator of the Transport Program at Childrens Hospital, had searched for an aviation company in the Valley willing to donate a helicopter.

``Helinet was the only aviation company that stepped up to the plate to help. I let the companies I approached know we could not pay for - or maintain - the helicopter,'' Sherif said.

``When I went to Helinet, Alan was very receptive. He said he would love to help. He asked me a series of questions. . . . `What would you like? What do you need? How can we help you?' he asked. He was so ready and willing to meet our needs, it was a dream come true,'' she said.

The transport includes a team of five pilots, with two on standby around the clock courtesy of the Purwins.

The couple first donated an Agusta-109, commonly used for corporate transport. The rotor craft was remodeled with medical equipment including an Isolette incubator.

``We were grateful for the smaller helicopter, but it really could not meet all of our needs, particularly for larger children and teens,'' the hospital transport program director explained.

``The new helicopter can reach Childrens Hospital from Van Nuys in seven minutes. Our mobilization times were a little slow, and the purpose of our program is for rapid response,'' she said. Previous service for the hospital often came from the Inland Empire, and timing can be critical.

Sherif, a La Canada Flintridge resident, received an e-mail photo of the Sikorsky S-76 before Purwin purchased it for the program. ``He said, 'I'll buy this for you, if you think it will work,' '' she recalled.

Subsequently the Sikorsky S-76 was purchased, painted with the Childrens Hospital logo, remodeled for medical use and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

``I could never be able to repay the work Helinet has done for us,'' Sherif said.

The Purwins also have equipped a King Air 200 plane with a Lifeport System for transporting young patients on trips more than 200 miles.

Helinet transport services are free to the Transport Program under contract to 42 hospitals. Some are located in Nevada, Arizona and Idaho.

Sherif is also a pilot. She makes time for flying in the evening. ``There are 24 hours in a day,'' she said.

< Meet Each Need With Dignity has honored several volunteers and organizations at its annual recognition dinner.

MEND is a nonprofit organization that helps people in need become self-sufficient, productive members of society. Its President's Award was given to Richard Marias. Mary Mendoza was honored as MEND Volunteer of the Year and Priscilla Arsenian was awarded for Outstanding Leadership.

The Outstanding Business Award was presented to US Growers Cold Storage.

Other MEND Volunteers of the Year are: Vilma DeLeon, Delio Perez, Audrey Triplett, Marian Blair, Tony Bejarano, Joe Cullen, and Brad Balduff.

Also; Shirley Endlich,Frances Flower, Isabel Davis, Eduardo Palacios.

Honored for giving 1,000 hours are; Jack Hurley,, also recipient of the Outstanding Service Award; Joe Mirabella, and Victory Outreach-Arleta.

Volunteers giving more than 500 hours are: Brian Acosta, Sally Bobbitt, Sally Connor, Kenny Doyle, Carmen Galvan, Amelida Garcia, Jan Mayers and Ed Rose.

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Alan Purwin is co-owner of Helinet Aviation Services in Van Nuys that recently bought a helicopter for Childrens Hospital.