INTHEIROWNWORDS
AMERICANWAY
DECEMBER2015
121
particularlyorphaned
children, bycreating
Legacies inMotion®. It
isanonprofitorgani-
zationdedicated to
humanitarianprojects
that includeeducation,
housing, health, com-
munitydevelopment
anddisasterrelief.
Thecentral focus
ofLegacies inMotion®
is toassistothers in
enhancing theirown legacies.While
there isnoshortageofneeds in the
world, individualsandcorporations
oftendonotknowwhere tobegin to
help, or if theirmoneywill actuallybe
spent for its intendedpurpose.
Legacies inMotion® iscomposed
of volunteers, andnoone in the
organizationreceivesasalary.When
largedonorsapproach
Legacies inMotion®,
wescoutoutworthy
projects in thedonor’s
chosencountryso that
theymaypersonally
decidewhere their
donationwillbeused.
Forsmallerdonations,
Legacies inMotion®has
numerousprojects that
it continuallysupports
inseveral countries.
Flyingaregular
scheduleandrunninga
nonprofitorganization
ischallengingand timeconsuming,
but Ireceive tremendoussupport
from themanagement teamandmy
colleaguesatAmericanAirlines.And
when Iseeneedychildrenbenefiting
from theeffortsof somanyvolunteers,
Iconsidermyself truly fortunate tobe
partof thiseffort.
To learnmore, pleasevisit
.
Insubsequent lay-
overs, Ibeganbuying
foodandbringing
toiletriesof soapand
shampoo toclean their
facesandhands. I
brought themclothing
I foundat secondhand
stores.But Ialways felt
that Icoulddomore.
Over thepast30
years, Ihavevolun-
teeredwithchildren,
served thehomeless in
soupkitchens, cared
for theelderly, paintedorphanages in
foreigncountriesandeducatedneedy
childrenduringmy international
travels.But itwasobvious tome that
educationwas theonlyway for these
childrenand their families toend the
povertycycle.
In2009, Ifinally launchedmy
dreamanddedicatedmy life to improv-
ing the livesof those less fortunate,
Name:
PATRICIAMOGILNICKI
Job:
FLIGHTATTENDANT
City:
SANFRANCISCO,
CALIFORNIA
Years at American
Airlines: 28
W
eareall influencedbyour
past, andpartofmine
includedspendingseveral
years inanorphanageasayoungchild
aftermyparentsweredivorced. I felt
emotionallyabandoned, neglectedand
unlovedbut Ialsodevelopedabond
withchildrensimilarlydisadvantaged.
Iwas lucky tofindmypassionearly
in lifewhen, at theageof 16, Ibegan
volunteeringat thesameorphanage
where I livedasachild.
Thenmyworld tookanadventurous
turn28yearsagowhena friendsug-
gested that Iapply fora jobasaflight
attendantwithAmericanAirlines–
and it seemed likeaperfectfit.During
oneofmy tripsat thebeginningofmy
career,wehada layover inMexicoCity
and Icame face to facewith theeffects
ofpoverty.Therewerechildren living
on thestreetsandwearing tattered
clothing,withnoway toget thedirt
off theirundernourishedbodies. Some
wereasyoungas threeyearsold.
AHEARTFOR
HUMANITY
PatriciaMogilnickihasdedicatedher life tohelping
othersbuildhealthy livesand lasting legacies.
