Just ahead of the March for Our Lives set to take place in Washington D.C. this Saturday, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School got the VIP treatment, courtesy of the New England Patriots.

As The Boston Globe reported this Friday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent the team’s private plane to fly survivors and the families of victims of the February mass shooting in Parkland, Florida to D.C. for the march.

Kraft’s decision was influenced by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, the Globe reported.

The Giffords became among the country’s most outspoken proponents of gun control after the former congresswoman was wounded in a shooting back in 2011.

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The March for Our Lives, which was organized in response to the Parkland shooting where 17 people were killed and 14 other were injured, is set to take place in cities across the country on Saturday.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Kelly said he felt obligated to help the students.

“Not only did their friends and teachers get shot and killed, other friends shot and injured … most of them they had bullets flying over their heads,” he said.

“This is not fair that they have to deal with something like this at their age. They wanted to go to Washington and be heard, and so I felt it was our obligation to help them.”

Featured image via Twitter