Cascade Warbirds Successful Fundraising for Youth Aviation Program

At WarbirdsNews/Warbird Digest, we are committed to promoting educational efforts to bring younger people into the aviation community, and into the historical aviation community in particular, which is why we are always excited to find groups working towards these same goals. When we learned of how Cascade Warbirds was responding to this challenge we felt compelled to spread the word about their noble efforts to bring more young people into the field we all cherish. Please read below to find out more…

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PRESS RELEASE – Cascade Warbirds (CWB) is a non-profit organization comprising more than 250 local aviation enthusiasts, many of whom are pilot-owners of historic military aircraft. Their mission seeks to promote and encourage the flying, preservation, and display of vintage military aircraft, to honor veterans, and to engage in aviation education. Regarding the latter aspect of their mission statement, Cascade Warbirds has operated a scholarship program, for more than a decade, to further the aviation interests of qualified young people in western Washington State.

In mid-February, long-time members Peter Stekel and Jennie Goldberg issued a fund-raising challenge to the squadron in the amount of $400 to benefit the squadron’s Memorial Scholarship Program. The Neyman Fund quickly matched this amount with another $400, and then thad doubled again with $800 coming from Karyn King. Seeing this, Roger Collins decided to redouble that impressive donation with his own $1,600 pledge, bringing the total challenge to $3,200!

As might be expected from this dedicated group, CWB members then stepped in, fifteen of them responded with a further combined donation of $2,250.

However, when Karyn King learned that three of the 2021 scholars were young women, and in honor of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, she committed an additional $950. Thus, the $3,200 raised in challenges came to be matched with a full $3,200 in responses.

But just as the matching period was drawing to a close, another very generous couple of CWB members added their own $400 to the mix. What started out as an offhand, “Well, then, I’ll just add $50 to my dues payment,” comment ended up benefiting our area youth to the tune of $6,800 (so far).  The Scholarship Committee and all of the Cascade Warbirds Memorial Scholarship Program scholars, present and future, thank these very generous members for their belief in the CWB aviation scholarship program.

Anyone interested in supporting this youth education effort with a tax-deductible financial donation, should contact the Cascade Warbirds Finance Officer at FO@cascadewarbirds.org.   Contributors may also be able to donate directly from a tax-advantaged retirement account without it flowing through income calculations; consult your tax advisor for details.  Cascade Warbirds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.