EAA garnered record
support in its annual fundraiser, The Gathering of Eagles, held Thursday
night at the EAA AirVenture Museum’s Eagle Hangar. More than 1,000
members of the aviation community attended the gala event, and when the
night was over, more than $1.3 million was raised to support EAA’s
youth inspiration and education mission: promote the future of, and
build a legacy for, aviation.
The much talked about
2006 Ford Shelby Cobra GT-H—which entered dramatically through the
hangar doors between a pair of P-51 Mustangs carrying Carroll Shelby in
the passenger seat—brought $250,000 alone in an auction. Edsel B. Ford
II and Shelby presented the automobile to the high bidder.
"EAA will apply the funds that we
raised last night and that we continue to raise throughout the year
toward our vision of expanding and enhancing the EAA Young Eagles
first-flight program and follow-up educational and engagement activities
designed to keep young people involved in aviation," said EAA
President Tom Poberezny. "These programs are cultivating the next
generation of aviation enthusiasts, pilots, aeronautical engineers,
air-space scientists, and innovators."
EAA’s premier Partner
in Flight, Cessna Aircraft Co., presented the event, with Jack Pelton,
Cessna’s chairman, president, and CEO, serving as host. Actor Harrison
Ford, chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program, also made several key
presentations.
The night’s
presentations underscored the enormous contribution of EAA member pilots
and ground-support volunteers in making the EAA Young Eagles program a
success.
"Thursday night the
aviation community affirmed the value of our volunteers’ work,
providing funding for the administration and growth of our youth
programs," Poberezny added. "Young Eagles volunteers have
consistently asked for enhanced follow-up activities, creating a
continuum of involvement for youth touched by the Young Eagles
first-flight experience. With this kind of support, and our continued
fundraising efforts, we can pursue that mandate.
"The member
volunteers are the lifeblood of our youth-outreach campaign,"
Poberezny continued. "We couldn’t do this valuable work without
them."
EAA estimates that, in addition to
generously providing their time and talents, EAA-member Young Eagles
participants donated approximately $500,000 in fuel costs alone in the
past year.
