Patrons of the 1956 Grand Canyon Midair Collision serves to facilitate support among the families who lost a loved one in the tragedy; to preserve and teach the history of the accident itself and the profound and lasting effects it had on everyone it touched; and to help involve everyone who cares to be involved, whether they lost a loved one or not,  creating a fellowship amongst us all.

  In the broader sense, a family is a group of persons who hold each other's values, purposes, and welfare dear. In this perspective, "family" does not strictly have to be descendants, kin, or relatives by marriage, but rather the larger group of persons who matter to each other. Most of us have friends who we say are "just like family," and many of us drop "just like" and call these persons family. In this spirit anyone who reveres the victims and recognizes what happened to them is welcome to join our group. In fact, two of our founding members are not related to any of the victims, yet as far as we are concerned, they are as much insiders as anyone else.