A $50,000 gift from The Boeing Company, in addition to several donations from individual members, during the recent 30th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference in Long Beach, California, has helped the organization reach its goal of $1 million in its Endowment Fund.
The fund enables WAI to expand its 2020 scholarship program, which will be available online July 1, 2019. Applications for scholarships will be due Nov. 12, 2019.
At the WAI 2019 conference, 156 scholarships were distributed to WAI members at every stage of life for academic use, lifestyle enhancement, and flight training including type ratings. A total of $875,065 in scholarships was awarded putting the total scholarships awarded since 1995 to more than $12 million.
Youth outreach programs organized by WAI, including the annual international Girls in Aviation Day, will also benefit from the growth of the Endowment Fund, according to association officials. Since Girls in Aviation Day started in 2015, every year the attendance and number of worldwide events has doubled with Girls in Aviation Day 2018 totaling 15,200 attendees and 102 events. On Oct. 5, 2019, WAI expects both the number of girls, age 8-17, and events to expand again with the demand for more STEM events focused on attracting more females to the aviation and aerospace industry.
“The generous donation from The Boeing Company, and our membership, will be used to create new scholarships in a variety of aviation and aerospace careers opening the doors for numerous WAI members to pursue their dreams,” says WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. “We are grateful for this forward-looking gift which allows us to increase our scholarship offerings and Girls in Aviation Day programs this year, and in years to come.”
The 31st Annual International Women in Aviation Conference will be held March 5-7, 2020, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.