On Monday, January 25th, in continuing efforts to send aid to Haiti, a nighttime flight piloted by John Travolta took off from Tampa, Florida carrying 50 doctors and over 7,000 pounds of medical supplies. According to the Embassy of Haiti and the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee, on the return trip, Travolta brought Haitian-Americans home to the United States to reunite them with their families.
Travolta, star of the films “Saturday Night Fever,” “Grease,” “Looks Who’s Talking” and “Hairspray,” is also a well-known pilot. The actor offered the services of his own plane and provided the fuel to fly a supply plane down to Haiti to aid relief efforts following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck the island on January 12, 2010.
The plane carried 7,000 pounds of medical supplies, all of which were purchased with funds provided by Travolta as a donation to the relief efforts. The plane also carried much needed food and water including 4,500 meals-ready-to-eat. Also onboard the flight, organized by the Church of Scientology, were 50 doctors, including surgeons, plastic surgeons, trauma specialists, and cardiologists.
“I would like to thank Mr. John Travolta for the compassion he and his wife are showing to the people of Haiti at this time of great need,” said Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph. “The donation of his time and skills to pilot the relief supply plane to Haiti was greatly needed, and it is a true example of an individual’s willingness to reconnect families which is very honorable and humbling.”
The Washington Post reported Travolta as saying, “We have the ability to actually help make a difference in the situation in Haiti and I just can’t see not using this plane to help.”
Of course, Travolta is not the only famous face assisting in the relief effort. Haiti-native Wyclef Jean has been in Port-au-Prince manually helping his people. The rapper has also organized donations through Yéle Haiti charity to give the country the assistance it needs. Other celebrities, including, George Clooney, Rihanna, Matt Damon, Taylor Swift and even Tiger Woods, have donated their time and money through fund-raising efforts and direct donation of medical supplies.
Here’s a video covering the Travolta mission to Haiti:
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