Toys for Tots

The Palm Beach Radio Control Association recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $75. The club is located in Delray Beach, FL. The club was recognized in their local paper. From November to April, the club sponsored many fundraiser that benefited charities. They held the annual Warbirds Over the Glades fundraiser for Alexander 'Sandy' Nininger State Veterans Nursing Home, their annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser, a fundraiser for the Hepzibah House for victims of human trafficking, their annual fundraiser for Ziggy's Bird Sanctuary, and they finished it all with the Snowbirds Fun-Fly that benefited St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. With all of the events combined, the Palm Beach Radio Control Association was able to raise about $10,500. 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.  

A giant 76 pound, 25-foot wing spanned Stein Adler Glider took flight at the Pomona Valley Model Airplane Club in California during their Toys for Tots event. The glider was purchased by an AMA Member, Cal Orr, from the AMA Foundation at the Toledo show. Watch the video here.  

The Hampton Roads Radio Control group hosted the 11th annual Toys for Tots Fly-in on Nov. 4. The event was held at their field in Suffolk, VA. All proceeds from the event went to the Suffolk’s Toys for Tots Program. More than 30 pilots registered for the event. There was a $10 landing fee or a pilot could bring one new, unwrapped toy. There was also a skydiver demo and candy drop at the event. The club event collected three boxes of toys, along with $3,462 worth of cash donations, raffle tickets and food sales. The AMA would like to thank the Hampton Roads Radio Control group for hosting this event and for donating to such a great cause! For more pictures from the event, click here.   

The Indianapolis R/C Modelers will host the Gene Brooks Memorial RC Fly-in on Saturday, Aug. 26. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This will be a Toys for Tots event. Registration will start at 9 a.m. at Blue River Airpark, 1 mile west of Morristown, IN. The admission cost is 1 new toy or $10. All the toys that are received will be going to the Marine Corp. League of Morristown for distribution. For more information: indyrcmodelers.com

Gateway RC Club held its annual fundraiser for USMC Toys for Tots in Jacksonville Florida. Despite the destruction of shelter from Hurricane Matthew, the event was able to donate $682.93, toys and 24 bicycles. The event came together with more than 30 flyers. Guests entry fee was an unwrapped toy worth $10 and a bicycle if they had an extra one. The club has been known for working hard in the past to donate more bikes than any other organization. For more information about the Gateway RC Club, view here. The AMA Foundation thanks the Gateway RC Club for bringing people together to support a meaningful cause.    

On Saturday, Nov. 5, Hampton Roads Radio Control Club hosted their 10th Annual Fun Fly Event benefiting Suffolk’s Toys for Tots Program. With more than 45 registered radio-control pilots, the event was able to raise more than $15,000 and collect thousands of toys for Toys for Tots program in the county.  “This is one of the best days we’ve had in five years, because of the weather,” said Chris Weeks, club vice-president. “The contributions exceeded our expectations.”     The day consisted of free Starbucks in the morning, a fly in with planes of all shapes and sizes and some electric powered, and Christmas themed parachutists. Santa was accompanied by elves who jumped out of the airplane to hear about children’s Christmas wishes. At the end of the day, Club President Jeff Haywood presented Skydive Suffolk owner Mike Manthey, members of Kingdom Kuts and Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department with plaques for their help in sponsoring the event.   Hampton Roads Radio Control Club has done a wonderful job bringing in members of the community to support a great cause.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $75 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to  Wintonbury Flying Club. The AMA recognized “Gold Leader”club was featured in Bloomfield Messenger for their 12th annual Giant Scale Fly-In in Bloomfield. The Wintonbury Flying club fly-in event gave the public a chance to admire the aircraft they feature. The public saw demonstrations, took part in a Q&A and children had the opportunity to fly in a 110 inch Olympic 2 glider. The club has been located in Bloomfield and actively involved with the community since 1972 and has over 215 members. Every year the club participates in donations for the food pantry and Toys for Tots Program. For more information about the club, view the website. 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 Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $75 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the Ozark Mountain Barnstormers of Springfield, MO. The club held an inaugural Toys for Tots fundraiser on November 14, 2015 at their home flight site in Nixa, MO.  The event attracted the attention of the local Nixa Enterprise newspaper and it was detailed on the front page of the November 25, 2015 issue. With 50 people in attendance, the club managed to collect $600 worth of new, unwrapped toys which were donated to the Springfield U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. 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.