Vancouverites will literally be pulling a cargo plane for a great cause this weekend

Remember how you used to play tug-of-war when you were younger?

Well, that involved just two teams and a rope. This coming Sunday, June 24, teams of Vancouverites will be trying their hand at a tug-of-war-inspired game by seeing how fast they can pull a cargo plane along the FedEx ramp at Vancouver International Airport.

We’re not kidding – teams of up to 20 people including family, friends, colleagues, and coworkers, will be battling it out to pull a 65-ton FedEx 757 cargo plane along a 20 ft. course.

Plane Pull for Sight/Orbis Canada

At this point, you’re probably wondering why on earth this is happening. Well, this is actually the ninth year Vancouver will be taking part in Plane Pull for Sight – a fundraising event in support of Orbis Canada’s fight against avoidable blindness in developing nations and around the world.

Participating teams are required to fundraise a minimum of $2,000. And if you’re interested, you can still register via the Plane Pull for Sight website. Before and after teams take on the ultimate challenge, they’ll get to take part in activities like a giant obstacle course, nine-hole mini-putt course, among other really fun stuff (bouncy castle included).

Plane Pull for Sight started out as a small event in Toronto 10 years ago and it’s now non-profit Orbis Canada‘s signature fundraising event with thousands of Canadians all pulling together to support Orbis and their vision of transforming lives through the prevention and treatment of blindness for millions of people worldwide.

The adult teams will no doubt do a great job at Plane Pull for Sight, just as the giant group of kids who will be attempting to pull the plane themselves will (no joke).

So, why pull an airplane?

Orbis is an international non-profit which has roots in the aviation industry and Plane Pull for Sight is a symbol of the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital – a fully equipped ophthalmic teaching and training hospital on board a FedEx-donated MD-10 aircraft.

The Flying Eye Hospital travels around the world, staffed by an expert medical team and a dedicated volunteer faculty who work together with Orbis’ partners to mentor, train, and inspire local eye care teams so they can save sight in their communities.

FedEx, the event’s National Sponsor, donates the use of its planes and facilities for the pull and also brings out hundreds of FedEx staff to participate. The firm has a 30+ year relationship with Orbis and during that time it has funded dozens of Flying Eye Hospital programs, provided critically important aircraft maintenance, shipped vital supplies and equipment all over the world, and its pilots volunteer to fly the Flying Eye Hospital to its program destinations.

Orbis has conducted training programs in over 92 countries and trained thousands of medical professionals since 1982. The non-profit has over 40 long-term projects worldwide including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, Cameroon, Peru, Mongolia, and Indonesia.

Visit Orbis Canada now to find out more about the organization and Plane Pull for Sight in Vancouver.

Plane Pull for Sight Vancouver

When: Sunday, June 24
Time: 11:30 am to 2 pm
Where: FedEx Ramp – Vancouver International Airport, 3151 Aylmer Road, Richmond
Price: Fundraise a minimum of $2,000 with a group of five to 20 – Register via Orbis Canada