Every Coast Helicopter Operations (ECHO) has announced the recipient of the 2020 Stacie Morse Gift of Flight Scholarship. The Gift of Flight Scholarship was created for female nurses in a rural area with at least three years of experience in an ED or ICU setting or those over the age of 18 who are pursuing a career in flight nursing.
On Jan. 29, 2019, flight nurse Stacie Morse, flight paramedic Margaret Langston, and pilot Patrick Coyle perished while responding to a call for a fixed wing medical transport. Stacie was a member of ECHO, had a passion for learning, felt a calling to care for her community and had a unique ability to bring comfort, hope, and joy to all those around her.
ECHO congratulates Maria Eells of Sitka, Alaska as its 2020 awardee. The review panel, composed of the ECHO Flight Crew Assistance and Support Team and Stacie’s family, saw these same attributes in Maria, and is honored to present her with this scholarship.
Maria lives in a coastal fishing town and was in the process of pursuing a nursing program when her husband became suddenly ill and required emergency air medical transportation by the area air medical program. Tragically, her husband did not survive the event, leaving Maria a single parent overnight.
To make ends meet, Maria assumed the role of captain of her husband’s commercial fishing vessel, leading a small crew. Through all of this, she continued pursuing her nursing education.
The compassion, professionalism and expertise her husband received from the flight team is what inspires Maria to pursue flight nursing so that she may pay those same attributes forward to her community. Maria was presented this $2,500 scholarship by Stacie’s Aunt, Susan Delucia.
ECHO provides free to low-cost education, high-quality training programs, crew member and program support, and networking opportunities to public safety aviation members around the world. Applications for the 2021 Stacie Morse Gift of Flight Scholarship will open Feb. 14. Individuals or organizations wishing to contribute to the scholarship fund may do so via the echoheliops.org website.
This press release was prepared and distributed by Every Coast Helicopter Operations.
