The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation unveiled the names of 20 charities, selected from hundreds of nominees, that will benefit from grants to be awarded this year. The names were unveiled Thursday at SUN ’n FUN.
The foundation is in its second year of partnering with the pilot community to identify worthy causes, give pilots a voice in who they will support and make a lasting difference, according to foundation officials.
Charities selected are: Angel Flight Central, Angel Flight East, Angel Flight Soars, Angel Flight Southeast/MercyFlight Southeast, Angel Flight West, AOPA Foundation, Aviation Exploring, Civil Air Patrol, Commemorative Air Force, EAA Chapter 44, Experience Aviation, Helicopter Foundation International, JAARS, Mission Aviation Fellowship, Ninety-Nines, Recreational Aviation Foundation, Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, Wings of Hope, Women in Aviation International, and Youth Aviation Adventure.
All pilots will be invited to vote online at LightspeedAviationFoundation.org. The top five charities, as chosen by the pilot community, will each receive a check for no less than $10,000. Gift recipients will be announced via webcast on AOPA Live at the Pilot’s Choice Awards at AOPA Summit in September.
Lightspeed Aviation customers will also be able to participate by registering their Lightspeed headsets and designating a portion of their purchases to one of the nominated charities. Designated gifts will be distributed to the finalists by next January.
Allan Schrader, Lightspeed Aviation president, says, “This foundation has the values of our company at its core. It is unique in that it does not ask for or accept financial gifts, so I’m very pleased that last year we were able to award more than $100,000 in grants based purely upon the direction we received from the aviation community. We’re happy to continue enabling pilots everywhere, as well as our own customers, to participate with us in making a significant contribution to the future of aviation.”
For more information: LightspeedAviationFoundation.org
