Sully Sullenberger

Sully Sullenberger Honored At The Wine For Wheelchairs Ball!

The Wheelchair Foundation is honored to have Wines For Wheelchairs partner with them in providing mobility for those in the world who cannot walk.

Saturday night several hundred people joined the Wine for Wheelchairs  group in honoring Sully Sullenberger  for his heroic landing of the US Air jet in the Hudson River.  A member of the group was so moved by Captain Sully’s heroics that she purchased an entire container of wheelchairs to be delivered to East Bay veteran facilities to assist with those who cannot walk.  Jeff Behring and The Wine For Wheelchairs Annual Black Tie Ball invited Captain Sully and his wife Lorrie, to be their honored guests in presenting this gift in his name.   What a night of moving stories and celebrating “Service Above Self”.

In June of 2000, Ken and Pat Behring, announced to the world that they were committing their time and resources to create mobility for those in the world who cannot walk.  They created the Wheelchair   Foundation as their way of giving back to the world that has been so good to them. From that moment, what has evolved is a partnership with Rotary International  to create matching grants for anyone who would like to donate a wheelchair to those less fortunate.  David Behring, Ken and Pat’s son, now is the president of the foundation and leads it’s efforts to provide a wheel chair for every person in the world who needs one.  It only takes a donation of $150 to purchase a wheelchair and the remainder of the cost is paid by the Wheelchair Foundation and Rotary International.  Today, over 750,000 wheelchairs have been delivered all over the world!

Over 150 million children, teens and adults worldwide are in need of a wheelchair but cannot afford one. In many developing countries, the only way for a person with physical disabilities to be mobile is to crawl along the ground or be carried by family or friends. An all-too-common reality is that many people stay in bed or the corner of a room for years at a time.

Wine for Wheelchairs was co-founded by Gordon Holmes of LookOut Ridge Winery, uses wine as a medium to purchase wheelchairs for those in need. They work with wineries including Lookout Ridge Winery  to host events, offer specials, and draw attention to the worldwide need for wheelchairs. On Valentine’s Day 2008 for example, Arrowood Winery  hosted a wine tasting, and all $6,000 in proceeds were donated to purchasing wheelchairs.  In cooperation with Lookout Ridge Winery and The Wheelchair Foundation, Wine for Wheelchairs donates wheelchairs to needy individuals around the world when you purchase their wines.

California’s most recognized winemakers have teamed up with Lookout Ridge Winery and The Wheelchair Foundation to use their winemaking skills to donate wheelchairs for needy individuals.  You know my love of great wines.  What a great way to enjoy great wines and also give back to this critical world need in such a dramatic way.  If you would like more information as to how you and/or your community can get involved in the Wheelchair Foundation project please contact me  and I will provide you all the information you will need.

Sully Sullenberger

60 Minutes – In Sully Sullenberger’s Own Words!

Tonight on CBS 60 Minutes, Captain Sullenberger (Sully) personally told his story to Katie Courac.  Here are some of his unforgettable comments from the interview:

“When the birds hit the plane and the engines shut down it was the most sick and disbelieving feeling I have ever had.”

“I never imagined that a plane crash, with me as the pilot, would be the way my career would end.”

“We were descending rapidly to the water.  It was coming up at us FAST.  I knew I had to immediately solve this problem.  I have been asked if I was praying.  My focus was so intent on the landing that someone else would have to do the praying.”

“Once the birds hit the plane, we were in the water within 3 ½ minutes.  We went from trying to go back to La Guardia, then to New Jersey, and then the only alternative was the Hudson River.  The training took over for the water landing.  Touchdown level, with the nose up, decent rate that was survivable,  touch down with enough speed to not have a crash landing.”

“We are constantly trained to land in water.  If possible, land near boats so you have a chance of being rescued.  ‘Brace for impact’, was the announcement I immediately made when it was evident we were going in the Hudson River.  Then the flight attendants were also instructing all the passengers to BRACE…BRACE, HEADS DOWN.  It was very comforting to know that he had a competent crew.”  He was asked if, during those 3 ½ minutes, if he knew he could actually land the plane.  He immediately said, “YES! I was sure I could!”

“My entire flying career has unfolded in a manner that prepared me for that one moment.”  As I said on Fox News  the day after the landing…Sully was the right guy, with the right experience, at the right time in history.

After the landing, Sully turned to his co-pilot and said, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”  Sully was asked if he felt a sense of relief now that they were in the Hudson River?  Sully said,  “NOT AT ALL!  I still had 155 passengers to get off the plane safely.”

And that is exactly what he did!  When it was confirmed to him that all 155 people were safe and accounted for, he said,  “It was as if the weight of the universe was lifted off of my shoulders knowing everyone was safe.”

There was a reunion with some of the passengers and their families this past weekend in North Carolina with Sully and the crew.  Here are some of their thoughts about the event that changed all of their lives.

More than one woman said,  “Thank you for not making me a widow.”   And, “I have a three year old child that will now have a father.”   And, “Thank you for saving my life.”  A passenger in First Class froze for a moment after the landing.  Then he remembered that he had a young niece – the daughter of his brother who was killed in the World Trade Center.  He said, “My family would not survive another loss of a child, so I knew I had to get out of the plane and survive.”

Sully has been asked how he is embracing the name HERO.  He said, “I don’t feel comfortable embracing that name.  But, I don’t want to deny it either.  Something has captured the imagination of the country.  People want good news, and this is one of those moments of non-stop good news.”  He also told the passengers at their reunion, “We will be joined together for the rest of our lives because of this event.”

His favorite card out of the thousands that have been sent to him the past three weeks read, “To save a life is to save a world.  Bless you Captain Sully.”

Sully Sullenberger

Sully Sullenberger – The World Is Embracing Him As Their Hero!

It was amazing to see how Europe wants a hero, too.  Sully Sullenberger has been adopted as the one they need right now.

We just returned from a trip to Europe attending the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference in Paris.  Sully Sullenberger was the talk of the town wherever we went.

Many of you know that Sully is a dear friend and a neighbor of ours in the San Francisco Bay Area – Danville. You also have been following the whirlwind attention that has come to him because of the “Miracle On The Hudson”.  Sully was the right person, at the right time in history, with the right skills. His 35+ years as a jet pilot and as a glider training pilot was the perfect stuff for the first forced landing in water that had NO fatalities.

And, Sully is a very reluctant hero. While we were at the Paris Conference the town of Danville had a welcome home parade  for Sully and his family. Thousands of people were there to thank him. His entire speech was two sentences long thanking his community members for the honor they were giving him. So, this Sunday you will see him on 60 Minutes.  On Monday, he will be receiving the key to New York City from Mayor Bloomberg.  And he will be on the David Lettermen Show in the next few days. He is so humble and understated that the hero mantle does not fit well with his style. However, we need a hero today, given all of the bad stuff that is going on in our world.

Sully is carefully allowing the hero title to be added to his name. He and the US Air crew were honored at the start of the Super Bowl. In speaking with Sully and his family, the book and movie deals presented to them are overwhelming. His job opportunities with international news corporations, and the interest in his corporate safety company are beyond overwhelming.

The day we were leaving for London was the day after the crash.  I had been at the Sullenberger’s home the night of the crash and eventually spoke with the world news organizations waiting outside their home.  Because of that moment I was called the next day by Fox News  for three different interviews that day, with my last interview  being just an hour before we left for the airport to London. 

During our two+ weeks in Europe, everyone wanted to know about Sully. They were so excited about the opportunity to have a world hero, not just for the USA. We gathered newspapers and magazines from five European countries to add to their scrapbook that is already gigantic. We are so glad that Sully’s wonderful story continues to have the attention of the nation so we can honor a reluctant hero who was just doing his job. What an inspiration for all of us emulate.  Thank you, Sully, from Jim Walberg  and your East Bay fan club!