Ten-Thousand Dollar Checks Go To Aviation Charitable Organizations

The Civil Air Patrol and the Recreational Aviation Foundation are among the recipients of $10,000 grants from the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation. The grant winners were announced Friday. Five aviation organizations were chosen by pilots casting votes for their favorite among the twenty finalists announced in March.

For the second straight year, Civil Air Patrol is among the grant recipients. Col. Christopher J. Hayden, commander of Civil Air Patrol’s Northeast Region, accepted the grant. “The pilot community has spoken and, once again, the Civil Air Patrol stands out as one of the most valued and respected aviation charities in our nation,” said Schrader. “On behalf of the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation, it is truly an honor to support the incredible work of Civil Air Patrol.”

Maj. Gen. Charles L. Carr Jr., CAP’s national commander, was pleased with the recognition and the contribution. “I would like to extend our gratitude to citizens across America who cast their vote in support of CAP,” he said. The grant will be put to good use promoting aerospace education through CAP’s Aerospace Connections in Education, or ACE, program, which benefits more than 100 schools and 15,000 students across the nation.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation was another of the awardees. RAF President John McKenna was on hand to accept the $10,000 grant from Lightspeed Aviation Foundation President and Founder Allan Schrader. "We work hard for every dollar we raise and even harder to make sure donor dollars are spent effectively," McKenna said. "The aviation community has spoken, they like the RAF and we like that!  Now it’s back to work preserving, maintaining and creating public use recreational and backcountry airstrips around the nation. Thanks to all who made this possible."

Other winners included the Mission Aviation Fellowship, which with its fleet of 58 aircraft executed 33,365 flights, logged 2.5 million nautical miles, transported 94,961 passengers and delivered more than 9 million pounds of cargo—all on 1700 rough, unimproved dirt and grass airstrips, as well as waterways. Their grant will be used to continue their efforts to overcome barriers and transform lives through aviation and technology; The Ninety-Nines, Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund, which established a scholarship fund in 1941 to provide education advancement in aviation for future women pilot members of the Ninety-Nines. This grant will make more scholarships available; and Wings of Hope, whose stated goal is to not only help the needy survive, but to enable them to become self-sufficient. Their outreach includes a free Medical Relief and Transport program that brings critically needed medical care to the underserved poor in 25 Midwestern states. This grant will be used to support their efforts and to expand the service to more of those facing severe health challenges in rural areas where care is unavailable.

Allan Schrader, Founder and President of the Foundation, says that he continues to be extremely moved by the good work being done by all of these charities. “Last year our grants totaled more than $100,000 and it is truly amazing to know just how far our contribution can go toward helping these worthy aviation charities achieve their goals.”

FMI: www.lightspeedaviationfoundation.org