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..."