LoPresti First Saturday will host Joe Hurston, as seen on ABC’s Extreme Make Over “Doing the Lord’s Work….One Cup at a Time” to benefit Air Mobile Ministries. The event takes place Saturday, Sept. 3 – breakfast begins with coffee and full breakfast at 9 a.m., with presentation from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Why was a pedestrian, unpainted Cessna 337 Skymaster doing on the south side of ConocoPhillips Plaza, AirVenture’s prime stage for showcasing the world’s rarest and most treasured aircraft? True, Skymasters (aka the “push me-pull me” because of its inline tractor and pusher engines) are hardly rare, but this C-337 is unique. And its unadorned appearance-though only temporary-is fine with owner Joe Hurston of Air Mobile Ministries in Merritt Island, Florida.
“The fact that it’s not painted brings more attention than the shiny ones get, because people say, ‘That airplane has got to have a story, and indeed it does,” said Hurston, standing beside the Skymaster, which, according to Hurston, has the miraculous ability to carry millions of gallons of water.
“This little airplane flies all over the Caribbean, mainly into Haiti,” Hurston explained. “We do relief work, carrying pure water, which makes the difference between life and death.” Link for Purifier
In truth, Joe’s Skymaster doesn’t actually carry water, but something better: simple, compact water purification machines that can purify 20 to 25 gallons per hour. Joe’s ministry has distributed more than 760 of the water purifiers over the last decade. Additionally, the Skymaster has another claim to fame: it’s a TV star, as are Joe and his family, thanks to ABC-TV’s reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
“Extreme Makeover” found out we bring water all over the world, and then, lo and behold, our home was destroyed by a very unfortunate water leak,” Hurston explained. “And the next thing I know [program host] Ty Pennington is yelling at us through a bullhorn, ‘Good morning, Hurston family!'”
The show’s producers decided not only would they completely rehab and refurbish the Hurston family house, they would also do an extreme makeover of Hurston’s plane, to enable him to accomplish his relief work more effectively.
For more information, call Mimi Erskine 772-562-4757.
