Nonprofit Luke's Wings Helping Family Members Attend Funeral Of Pennsylvania State Trooper Branden Sisca
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A nonprofit is helping family members who live far away attend Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Branden Sisca's funeral this weekend. Police say Sisca and his partner, Trooper Martin Mack, were hit and killed by a driver on I-95 last week.
That driver is facing murder and DUI charges.
Luke's Wings is an extraordinary organization dedicated to making sure that family members are with wounded soldiers as they recover from their injuries and that family members can attend the funerals of fallen officers, as will be the case for late Sisca when he's laid to rest this weekend.
"This program line, the Fallen Officers Transportation Assistance Program, is intended to provide emergency flights -- next flight out, within hours of a law enforcement officer being attacked in the line of duty," Luke's Wings co-founder and CEO Fletcher Gill said.
That's what happened following last week's tragedy on I-95.
The organization, named Luke's Wings after injured soldier Luke Shirley and the organization's other co-founder, Sarah Wingfield, saw the story of the PSP troopers on the news and sprung to action.
Mack's family didn't need its assistance. Sisca's extended family did.
"I'm so sorry to have lost him and I'm so sorry for that family. Our heart and prayers go out to the family. We flew in five family members. They're all arriving tomorrow -- an aunt, two uncles, and two cousins. But we're gonna keep flying as many of those family members as they want," Gill said.
Luke's Wings relies on donations far and wide. From corporate sponsors like Delta Airlines -- anyone can donate their Delta miles to Luke's Wings -- to individual donors like you at home.
"Folks can come to our website and make a small donation. Every little bit helps. If we can get $350 we can book another flight," Gill said.
As for why Gill, a successful commercial real estate broker in Washington, D.C. felt so moved to do this work? He told us this.
"We have 15 million or so veterans in this country. We have an amazing armed forces, we have first responders, we have law enforcement. These people, these heroes, go out and they serve us every day but we don't serve them. I think we owe them something," Gill said.
