I am not a volunteer, but maybe you should be 

At the bottom of this column sits a brief pair of sentences that identifies me as the AOPA Foundation Ambassador in Florida. I’m not sure why, but there is something about that title that seems to suggest to a fair percentage of the population that I volunteer my time to the foundation to do this and that when my schedule allows.  

Nothing could be further from the truth. More than seven years into my 50-plus hour per week tenure, I continue to meet people at Rusty Pilot seminars and similar in-person events who ask with genuine curiosity, “So…what do you do for a living?”  

“This,” is my typical answer. “I do this.”  

In truth, my ambassadorial peers and I might be thought of most accurately as consultants who are available to folks who have questions or concerns or needs that have something to do with the world of general aviation. Whether the question is about how to buy an airplane, or form a flying club, or get access to a top-quality STEM curriculum for their local high school, we can probably be of some help.  

Should an individual have concerns about the cost of flight training, or rumors of their local airport being closed down, we just might be able to make a connection that would be of value. And of course, if an organization seeks a speaker who has lengthy experience dealing with the safety of flight, or insight into how the FAA wishes flight operations to work, or what the AOPA Foundation is up to, we’ve got something to offer on those points and more. 

We are not volunteers, however. AOPA Foundation Ambassadors, of which there are three, wear a lot of different hats and cover a fair amount of ground. White hats, I should point out. We’re the good guys, always committed to the goal of “How can I help?” 

Kay Sundaram serves in Southern California. Like me, she has been on the job for more than seven years. Pat Brown covers Texas. He’s been doing ambassadorial duty for nearly as long as Kay and I have.  

It’s probably worth noting that although the three of us have reasonably well-defined areas of operation, geography isn’t much of a deterrent for any of us. Thanks to cell phones, email, the Internet, and the awesome power of Zoom, we’re all able to reach out to work with individuals and groups all over the country.  

Incidentally, if you ever get the urge to see us live, all at once, we produce an online chat fest that runs on AOPA’s Facebook page and the AOPA Live YouTube channel on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. We call it Ask an Ambassador. A literal title that encourages viewers to ask us questions on any topic that vexes them. While we have a theme for each episode, we habitually interrupt our planned discussion to wrestle with areas of interest expressed by viewers via the comments section of either platform.  

I bring this topic and my peers up in this space because I would like to be as clear and accurate as possible on the point of volunteerism and how I (or we) fit into it. We are not volunteers. Not at the AOPA Foundation, at least. We work diligently and with great pride in the You Can Fly division of the organization, putting significant effort into helping folks find practical ways of getting into general aviation, staying involved in general aviation, and being safe throughout their time in general aviation. But we are employees, not volunteers.  

I take no offense when someone assumes I am a volunteer. Volunteers make the world go round, after all. We as an industry and a society would be in dire straits if not for the power brought to bear by volunteers.  

There may be no better example of this belief than the annual extravaganzas known as SUN ‘n FUN and AirVenture. Each requires thousands, yes, thousands of volunteers to pull off such massive events. From the parking lot attendants, to the ticket booth workers, the flight line folks, to the crews that pick up the trash every darned day, volunteers make those events come to life.  

Volunteers make an enormous difference in smaller, lesser-known venues, too. The high school flying clubs I work with benefit greatly from men and women who volunteer their time and experience to guide teenagers toward learning productive, marketable skills. They exhibit and teach the principles of leadership as well. These folks who donate their time and effort in big ways and small truly have the power to change the world. The impact they have on others is profound and lasting.  

Want proof? Were you ever a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout? Did you play baseball, or football, or soccer on a recreational team as a kid?

I certainly did. And to this day, many decades later, I recall the advice and the kindness shown me by Mr. Shields and Mr. Bartley who volunteered to lead my Scout troop. I recall and often reminisce about Sergeant Rocks, who coached my midget football team in his off time from the police department.

I’m even thankful for Dave Shallbetter, who I first bumped into more than 30 years ago when SUN ‘n FUN Radio was a mere shadow of what Dave was able to build it up to be.  

Each one of those folks willingly, intentionally volunteered to serve in a professional capacity on a mission to make the lives of those around them just a tiny bit better. And each one of them succeeded. Thank goodness.  

No, I’m not a volunteer. But I sure am proud whenever someone mistakes me for one.