Greetings, all. Flying seasons is in full swing here in District VI, but many of us have had to dodge flash floods and wait for water to subside to even get to the field. The fields have hopefully dried out by the time you read this. The St. Louis RC Flying Association recently received an AMA Disaster Relief Grant to help clean up its flying site.
I enjoy when folks get together for a great cause and this occurred recently at the Bolivar Sport Flyers, in Bolivar, Missouri. I choose Samuel Maas to attend Camp AMA as our district sponsored youth member.
Sammy is a fine young man and I’ve had the honor of watching him grow during the last eight years. He is a perfect representative to attend Camp AMA.
Sammy Maas (center) is the District VI Camp AMA scholarship recipient. He will joining the rest of the campers in Muncie IN at the International Aeromodeling Center June 11-17, 2017.
The Bolivar club decided to host a fun-fly as a fundraiser to help support Sammy and pay for his transportation, incidentals, etc., for his trip to camp. As it turns out, the show of support for Sammy has been amazing and overwhelming. We have too many to thank to list here, but many clubs have helped.
Attending our fun-fly was the 417 Drone Enthusiasts, a chapter of the MultiGP AMA Special Interest Group, that joined us for this fundraising event. Clubs that had conflicting events held local fundraisers, including the Springfield RC Club, and the Mid-Missouri Modelers.
Other clubs with members that sent support for Sammy in one way or another include the Kansas City Northern Knights, Ozark Mountain Barnstormers, Sedalia R/C Flyers, and the Lake Ozark Radio Control Society. Collectively $1.000 was raised for Sammy. Sammy and I thank you.
At The Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo, I was able to purchase a Giant Aeromaster ARF from the AMA Foundation RC Resale. You can shop RC Resale at https://stores.ebay.com/rcresale, or at the many events the Foundation representatives attend. Most items sold through RC Resale have been donated to the AMA Foundation from modelers’ estates.
The AMA Foundation is a fairly new component of the AMA. The hope of the foundation’s board of directors is to raise money through donations and use the interest from that money to pay for many of AMA’s programs and grants.
There are many ways to contribute to the AMA Foundation. The easiest way to donate is online at www.modelaircraft.org/supportama/donations.aspx.
There are other ways to donate as well. Consider purchasing a brick that will be installed in the AMA Walk of Fame. Use AmazonSmile and select the AMA Foundation as your charity, which will allow 0.5% of your purchase to be donated. See Mandee Mikulski, Chrystal Pearson, or any AMA Foundation representative at any of the shows and events they attend.
Another great way to support the AMA Foundation is to attend the Jet Rally, in Ottumwa, Iowa, August 24-27, 2017. The event, which will benefit the AMA Foundation, will include a full-scale air show that is part of Ottumwa’s annual Fly Ottumwa celebration. It should be an exciting event.
Happy flying, hope to see you at an event soon!
Randy Cameron