fundraising

Join the AMA Foundation in celebrating the ninth annual National Model Aviation Day, August 15, 2020!

National Model Aviation Day was created to encourage clubs to celebrate their hobby by sharing it with their communities. Year after year, clubs use this day to raise money for the AMA Foundation and other charities close to their heart. Donations made to the AMA Foundation are used to inspire the young and young-at-heart to pursue a hobby that will inspire creativity and advanced learning through the use of hands-on applications. Read what District X Associate Vice President Jim Mohan has to say about this day of fun and celebration:

Our celebration [of National Model Aviation Day] is our club’s chance to reach out to neighbors and invite those in the area to come out and enjoy a nice day with RC model flying, food, and a chance to fly one of the club’s trainers under the supervision of an instructor. Activities also include several raffles used as fundraising tools. National Model Aviation Day falls during the hottest part of the summer in the Phoenix area. With that in mind, the Arizona Model Pilots Society (AMPS) shifts its celebration to November when the weather better cooperates with outdoor activities. 

This past year, our event outreach and advertising resulted in roughly 30 registered pilots, but more importantly, nearly 100 guests stopped by to take in the activities. Approximately 25 visitors of all ages took advantage of the opportunity to fly an RC airplane. Several current club members got their start with model aviation as guests at our open house and National Model Aviation Day celebration.

Supporting the AMA Foundation on NMAD is a “no-brainer.” 

Although there are many worthy causes supported by several excellent groups, celebrating National Model Aviation Day calls for dedicating proceeds to the AMA Foundation. Last year, raffle proceeds allowed us to contribute $500 to the AMA Foundation. The foundation’s support of a variety of model aviation causes and activities provides clubs like ours the opportunity to contribute without the extra work of vetting and determining which activities deserve financial backing.

Having recently received an AMA Flying Site Improvement Grant, AMPS’ ongoing support of the AMA Foundation is one way to pay it forward to provide funding for other clubs and their projects. 

-Jim Mohan, AMPS president & District X associate vice president 

Register your club to participate or Find an Event at https://modelaviationday.com/

  For more information, contact: Kelsie Walker (kelsiew@modelaircraft.org) or Austin Perlee (austinp@modelaircraft.org).

Despite a cold start, Saturdays Fly-In benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Casa Grande Valley turned into a wonderful morning.

Visitors to the club’s airfield 2725 S Isom Road arrived later than usual because of the morning wind and chill, but the day ended successfully for both the Boys & Girls Club and the Pets In Need Action League, who were on hand providing hot coffee and pastries to the attendees. 

Both non-profits raise money from club members and visitors who came to watch the flying, try a free model flying lesson and view items at the club’s swap meets. According to club President, Alan Friedman, “the biggest event of the season will be the annual Air Show which will take place on Saturday March 14th this year”.  He also stated that, “because of the cold mornings, next will run from 9 AM until 1 PM instead of 8 AM to Noon as in the past.”  At the club’s recent meeting, their board of directors was also increased from five members to seven.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an Academy Of Model Aeronautics award winning club and an Arizona non-profit corporation devoted promoting interest in model aviation and raising money for area charities.  The club’s efforts also benefit the Valley Humane Society, Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona and the Casa Grande Food Bank who will be the recipient of their efforts at the March 14th air show. 

All those charities, now to include the Boys & Girls Club, have an annual event for their benefit at the club airfield. A list of the clubs’ activities, charitable and educational work and field and membership information can be found on the club’s website. 

The Casa Grande RC Flyers were mentioned twice in their local newspaper recently. The first sections highlighted their upcoming event, which is aiming to benefit Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona. The event is free to the public and you can watch the pilots fly, see what is up for grabs at the swap meet, take a free flying lesson, and see the new track. Lunch will be provided by food vendors and the Pets In Need Action League will be handing out free coffee and pastries. The Hospice Charitable Fund will have several representatives in attendance collecting donations. The second clipping is a letter from the editor in which the Pets In Action League sent their greatest thank you to the club for donating.       

The Fort Bend Radio Control Club recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $100. The club is located in Sugar Land, TX. The Fort Bend RC Club teamed up with the the Fort Bend Animal Services and Fort Bend PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving)  for an event called PAWS and Planes on Saturday, June 15th for a high-flying fundraising adventure. The event was held at the club's airfield from 11am to 2pm. The event included model airplanes in action, adoptable dogs, classic cars, refreshments and a raffle. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Fort Bend PAWS. The AMA Club Recognition and Reward Program was established to encourage clubs to promote model aviation. The AMA offers clubs cash incentives for positive local media coverage for a public event, public service, club announcement, or other coverage. Click here to learn more about this program.

The Palm Beach Radio Control Association is our featured Flying For Good submission for April. Located in Boca Raton, FL, the club raised $10,500 for charity from November 2018 to April 2019. The club sponsored five fundraisers to benefit three local organizations as well as two national charities, Toys for Tots and The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The club’s local fundraising efforts benefited the Alexander “Sandy” Nininger State Veterans Nursing Home, Ziggy’s Haven Bird Sanctuary, and the Hepzibah House for victims of human trafficking. In addition to raising awareness for each charity, many events featured fun flys, food and beverages, and raffle prizes. The AMA Foundation wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.  

Every year the Weak Signals club of Toledo, OH sells raffle tickets to those attending the Toledo R/C Expo show to raise money in support of the AMA’s scholarship program. This year, the club raised $1,000 for AMA scholarships.

This donation will be split between this year’s top three AMA scholarship award recipients.

We would like to thank the members of the Toledo Weak Signals for the continued support of the scholarship program.

Learn more about the Weak Signals RC club on modelaircraft.org.

We would like to thank JAG RC, owned by Greg and Jenni Alderman, for contributing a portion of the sale of Showtime smoke oil back to the AMA Foundation. The smoke oil will be available at different shows throughout the country this flying season. "Showtime" Model Aviation smoke oil is formulated from the same base stock used by the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds and now by several well-known pilots in the RC jet pilot community. Supplies are limited: $70 for 4-gallon case (four 1-gallon jugs @ $17.50 per gallon) $20 for a single 1-gallon To learn more visit JAG RC on Facebook.  Or visit the JAG RC website, https://jag-rc.com/.      

The Casa Grande RC Flyers held their annual National Model Aviation Day event on Dec. 8. The event was held at the clubs airfield in Casa Grande. More than 150 people attended the event and the event was free to the public. The club's new food service, Twisted Entree from Casa Grande, served meals from their menu. Tools and supplies to make the event more space were donated by Home Depot, Lowes and Norris RV and all of Casa Grande. The event benefited the Casa Grande Food Bank and the club members collected cash and food items. The clubs vice president, Ron St. Pierre, offered free first-person-view airplane rides to guests. The club's next major fundraising event, Fly In For Hospice, is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12.