Gathering Of Eagles Event Generates A Record $3 Million In 2008

By Maxine Scheer

One of the major philanthropic initiatives sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is Young Eagles, where EAA members provide free flights for young people ages 8-17 in the hopes of inspiring them to explore the world of flight.

Each year at AirVenture, EAA hosts the "Gathering of Eagles", a major fundraising event for EAA activities using aviation to inspire scholarship and achievement.  Last year was a good year, with the event having raised a record breaking $3 million, a million more than was raised in 2007. EAA uses the proceeds to administer Young Eagles and to build on the follow-up programs such as academic scholarships, EAA Air Academy, and EAA AeroScholars online instruction.

ANN talked with Steve Buss, Executive Director of Young Eagles to find out how the $1 million increase is being used to advance the Young Eagles program. “An additional $250,000 was offered for the Young Eagles program”, said Buss.  With the infusion of additional resources, EAA offered to Young Eagle participants an increase in funding for every flight, the proceeds of which are collected by the chapters to pool resources for scholarships to the EAA Air Academy and other educational programs related to aviation.  While no figures were quoted, Steve also described how funding was being set aside for increasing scholarships and establishing a reserve that could be used for future endowments.

It is estimated that about a third of EAA members participate in some way in Young Eagles. Approximately half of the Young Eagles supporters are active pilots, while the other half provides ground support and other programs.

“As a result of the additional funding, EAA’s Air Academy program is full this year,” says Buss. Many of the smaller chapters were able to sponsor kids to attend programs in Oshkosh that hadn’t been able to do so in the past.  Chapters range in size from 12 members to several hundred, so Buss hopes the additional “points” earned for Young Eagles participants will motivate EAA chapters to bring more programs at a local level.

In 2003, Young Eagles reached the milestone of one million flights since the program started in 1992, and in 2009 has reached the 1.5 million mark. “The pace of the Young Eagles program is driven by the motivation of individual EAA members, whether or not they are members of a chapter.  While Young Eagles continues to grow, the cost of flying has slowed the pace of growth”, says Buss. “We are putting more emphasis on creating a quality experience and are encouraging chapters to create more programs that keep the kids excited about flying.”

“It’s part of our effort to reach out in other ways..."

FMI: www.youngeagles.org , www.eaa.org