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Sometimes it takes a village. Chad and Amber Rollins, whose daughter KJ had spent the past 18 months fighting a complex, multi-system autoimmune disease, needed a miracle and asked their village to pray for one.KJ, a just-turned 15-year-old who went from dancing ballet 4 days a week to 130 days in the hospital, lives in Florida. Fragile, non-ambulatory and with a suppressed immune system, her condition made flying commercial impossible. Yet the most promising treatment for her condition lay a continent away, in California. Chartering a private jet was beyond the family's means.While this story is unique it's also common. Swap out the health condition and geographic location and the list of children in need becomes longer than the private lift available. Coordination between families, operators, pilots and doctors is especially complicated, especially when most are volunteering their time and services. But KJ and her family were one of the lucky ones — their prayers were answered but only because two organizations, Angel Flight West and Corporate Angel Network (CAN), both stepped up to the plate to make this trip a reality.How the flight came togetherThe request started the way most do — through personal contacts. It started one call at a time, with KJ's Melbourne, Florida-based doctor, who had become her advocate, getting the ball rolling. He reached out to an old friend, a Gulfstream salesperson who happened to be based in the same town years prior. That friend contacted Daniel Cheung of Aviation Tax Consultants and board member at Angel Flight West. The threads started coming together but they were not quite there yet.Angel Flight West has run volunteer missions across the Western United States for the past four decades (over 100,000 flights and counting), providing transportation to and from medical care. These missions are primarily flown by pilots in their own aircraft which often means single-engine piston. A Florida-to-California haul was well outside their scope. And that's likely the moment when Daniel Cheung realized that he was going to have to dig deeper into his rolodex. He contacted Bill Shannon, a corporate pilot employed by a Fortune 500 flight department who regularly flew between the two coasts. Bill ran the request up the chain of command, and the company said yes.But even with those pieces in place, there was still more work to be done. Coordinating all these disparate elements was no small task, and that's where the Corporate Angel Network came in. Founded in 1981, the non-profit specializes in arranging free travel for cancer patients on corporate jets (with over 70,000 lifesaving flights to their credit).KJ's condition complicated matters. While life-threatening, she does not have cancer and is not capable of traveling unassisted. That falls outside of CAN's patient profile which is in place so their services can cater to the highest number of people in need. But because KJ had some angels already on her side, it paved the way for the flight to proceed."This flight was a unique opportunity for CAN to support KJ and her family outside of our traditional mission," said Courtney Easton of Corporate Angel Network. "While KJ's flight fell outside our traditional eligibility criteria, it represented the same core purpose that guides our work every day: removing transportation barriers so people can access the medical care they need."The final link in the chain was cast. The doctor knew the salesman. The salesman knew Cheung. Cheung knew Shannon. And all were assisted through KJ's family and village with the help of their prayers. Each connection was personal, and the mission couldn't have happened any other way.A flight the crew won't forgetFor Shannon, this mission turned a typically mundane flight into one that left him and his entire flight department with a new sense of purpose."As a professional pilot working for a large public company, this is the kind of flight you never forget," he said. "A corporate jet is usually a tool for safety, comfort and convenience. Utilizing it for a mission like this was very fulfilling and memorable for my entire flight department. Everybody rallied behind the mission with a common goal. I'm also very proud to work for a company that didn't hesitate to say yes, and I surely hope to see more companies do the same."On the other side of the cabin, the generosity and goodwill did not go unnoticed."We are honored you all can share our story and the story of such generosity on behalf of Angel Flight and these incredible corporations and pilots," Amber Rollins said. "Because of complications we faced while in California this past month, we would not have been able to return home to Florida as needed if we had had to fly commercial. These are truly rescue missions, and the impact being made is no small wake."Why it mattersEmpty legs and seats are commonplace in the world of business aviation. When it comes to giving back, their value is at times immeasurable. Because of organizations like Corporate Angel Network and Angel Flight West, the door is wide open for flight departments and private pilots alike to get involved. What they get in return could involve a modest tax break, but sometimes this kind of generosity repays the giver far more than the things that money can buy.