The Corporate Angel Network is taking its annual auction fundraiser virtual.

CAN’s annual auction and cocktail reception is typically held the second night of the National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition and raises critical funds for the organization. It also thanks the business aviation community for its ongoing support, said Samantha Lohse, CAN senior program manager. It is the organization’s one major yearly fundraiser.

CAN, which arranges free travel on corporate aircraft for cancer patients needing treatment at cancer centers around the country, was forced to adjust after NBAA canceled its event scheduled for Oct. 6-8 in Orlando, Florida, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAN’s auction, called Fund an Angel Virtual Auction, is now live online at https://e.givesmart.com/events/g7U/ and items are available for bid. CAN is still receiving items as well, so bidders are encouraged to keep checking back, Lohse says.

Auction items include vacation packages, aviation memorabilia, artwork and a host of other items. Donors may also make a financial pledge directly to the organization. 

Bids close at 8 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7, the same time it would have closed had the event taken place in person. 

“While the CAN team wishes we could be in person for this event as we’ve done for the past 10 years, I am pleased that we still have a platform to generate funds for our operation while promoting the positive impact business aviation has on cancer patients throughout the country,” said Gina Russo, CAN executive director. 

The pandemic has impacted CAN’s finances and the availability of aircraft. 

 “When flight departments decreased flight activity in mid-March, it presented a unique challenge for the CAN model,” Russo said. “Fortunately, through the support of the business aviation community, we have remained a critical part of our patients’ treatment plans and continue to transport them to the country’s top treatment centers.”