George Stinson of Anderson Township has been flying since his retirement from CG&E in 1996, but recently he took his most memorable flight.

Early on Sept. 13, Stinson received a call asking him to pick up a 15-month-old girl and her parents in Bristol, Tenn. He flew them back to Lunken Airport, and she received a liver transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

"This one was special. I really helped save her life," Stinson said.

Since May 2001, Stinson, 58, has been volunteering for Angel Flight America, a network of pilots who give their time and aircraft to fly stable patients to cities where they can receive surgeries and treatments.

He sometimes makes as many as two flights a week for the effort.

George Stinson flies his Beechcraft Baron for the Midwest branch of Angel Flight America. (Jeff Swinger photo)

But this was the first flight for Angel Flight America's Midwest region involving a transplant patient, said Suzanne Clark, director of public affairs for the organization, which flew 11,000 missions in 2002.

The volunteer group recently merged with another pilot volunteer network, AirLifeLine, said Clark.

"It was a historic mission for us," Clark said. "And George really went the extra effort, even driving them to the hospital."

For Stinson, volunteering for Angel Flight is its own reward.

"Once you do one of them, you're kind of hooked," he said.

"It's almost like you find someone on the side of the road, and you help them out."

Dedicated to service

John Kelly is the perfect example of what Lighthouse Youth Services means.

As program director for the Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek in Bainbridge, he focuses on rehabilitation for the 15- to 18-year-olds he oversees from around the state, using a combination of intervention services, academic achievement, group session and intensive staff involvement.

That kind of approach has won the center national recognition as a leader in juvenile corrections and earned Kelly awards for employee of the year as well as trustee of the year.

The honors were given to Kelly by Lighthouse Youth Services at its annual Christmas and awards dinner last week.

"The method of dealing with these kids is on target," Kelly said. "I thoroughly enjoy the staff who are highly dedicated people who are attracted to the same sound program."