AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014 - 18

FOUNDATION FOCUS

BY BRUCE LANDSBERG
AOPA Foundation President

Giving back
Honoring and advancing the work of public
benefit flying organizations
PAYING IT FORWARD OR GIVING IT BACK-either way
helps to strengthen general aviation and is a critical part
of the AOPA Foundation's mission. We're here to serve
by promoting safety, growing the pilot population, and
protecting airports. But there are many other organizations that are doing good things to help GA. The AOPA
Foundation decided last year that we could leverage our
efforts by helping the most deserving of these groups to
advance our cause.
There are hundreds of organizations that use general aviation to accomplish great things. They use
aircraft, big and small, to support their neighbors, their
communities, and a whole range of important causes.
Whether they're delivering humanitarian aid to disaster victims, transporting patients to specialized medical
care, rescuing unwanted pets, helping wounded vet-

The individuals who have advanced their training
through scholarship funding are natural
ambassadors for general aviation.

BRUCE LANDSBERG

leads the work of
the AOPA Foundation, which funds
the Air Safety
Institute and other
general aviation
pursuits.

18 | AOPA PILOT June 2014

erans get home, or protecting the environment, these
groups-and the pilots who volunteer to fly for them-
demonstrate daily that general aviation makes the world
a better place.
But just as the AOPA Foundation needs the support
of donors like you, many of these organizations need a
little boost to help them grow and expand their mission. That's why we created the Giving Back program,
to honor and advance the work of such organizations.
Each year, through the Giving Back program, the
AOPA Foundation provides grants of up to $10,000 to
nonprofit organizations that use general aviation to
do good works. The program also funds scholarships
for those who want to learn to fly or pursue an aviation career.
In 2013, the first year of the Giving Back program,
grants were given to 10 organizations nationwide,
including Air Care Alliance, Challenge Air for Kids &
Friends, Girls Incorporated of Oak Ridge, the Kentucky
Institute for Aerospace Education, the Duluth Aviation
Institute, LightHawk, the Recreational Aviation
Foundation, Veterans Airlift Command, and Young
Aviators (see "Briefing," page 34). Eight flight training scholarships also were awarded, including one for

Able Flight, a group that encourages people with disabilities to learn to fly. Last year's Able Flight AOPA
Foundation scholarship recipient was U.S. Marine Lt.
Andrew Kinard, who learned to fly after having lost both
legs while serving in Iraq.
Every 2013 grant and scholarship recipient put the
money to work in ways that strengthen general aviation today and for the future. The individuals who have
advanced their training through scholarship funding
are natural ambassadors for general aviation, sharing
their enthusiasm and excitement-not that new pilots
ever discuss aviation with friends, family, or anyone else
within earshot.
And the organizations that received grants can point
to successes that would have been difficult or impossible without help from the AOPA Foundation. In return
for funding, we ask grant recipients to keep us posted
on their progress and to spread the word about the work
they do through general aviation. The goal is twofold-
to help charitable organizations keep up the great work,
and create recognition around the many ways general
aviation serves pilots and nonpilots alike.
That brings us full circle to the AOPA Foundation's
mission of ensuring the future of general aviation in the
United States. The more people understand GA and the
varied ways it serves our communities, and the more
people whose lives are touched by general aviation, the
more they appreciate it. That encourages more people
to become pilots and more communities to support their
GA airport.
If you work with a charitable 501(c)(3) organization
that uses general aviation to fulfill its mission or if you're
an individual seeking a flight training scholarship, this
is the time to take action. Grant applications are being
accepted May 1 through July 10. And scholarship applications are being accepted May 31 through July 1. All
applications must be submitted electronically.
You can learn more about the Giving Back program and get an application for either a grant or
a scholarship online (www.aopa.org/foundation/
giving-back-program.aspx). Recipients will be
announced at the AOPA Homecoming Fly-In in
Frederick, Maryland, on October 4. Do good things with
aircraft and help us spread the word.
AOPA
WEB www.aopafoundation.org

http://www.aopa.org/foundation/giving-back-program.aspx http://www.aopa.org/foundation/giving-back-program.aspx http://www.aopafoundation.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014