~ Scholarship Corner ~
By Chris Nugent
As I reported last month, we received a record number of forty applications for this year’s scholarship cycle. That is up from twenty-nine last year which is really encouraging based on the general upheaval we have experienced in our lives over the last two years. The scholarship committee has been hard at work evaluating the applications, but I must admit that the overall quality of the submissions has made it a challenging task. We expect to complete our work prior to the Christmas holiday and will be awarding eight scholarships again this year, each valued at $2,500.
One of the key items that we look for in each application is a commitment to community service and in particular volunteer work within the Arizona aviation community. This includes activities such as helping EAA Young Eagle events, aviation summer camps and helping with APA specific activities such as Grapevine maintenance. We were fortunate to have a group of 11 students from the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) help with maintenance work at the November Grapevine fly-in. We accomplished a lot in terms of removing the larger rocks from the aprons which all of us with wheel pants and small tires will appreciate!
The team also did a significant amount of work with Rodney Tang building gabions (wire baskets filled with rock) and putting them in place to reduce erosion at the north end of runway 35. This project is not yet completed but the hard work by both the APA and EVIT volunteers will pay off in keeping Grapevine in good shape for years to come.
I wanted to close this month by thanking those of you that have recently donated to the scholarship program. Thanks to your generosity we are very close to fully funding the program for this year. This speaks volumes to the commitment of our members to making sure that this important part of APA’s mission is fulfilled. If you are considering donating, remember that they are tax-deductible and there is no administrative overhead, each dollar you donate goes directly to the students. Donate today!
Thank you again for your continued support of the program and we will provide you an update on the scholarship winners next month.
Happy holidays and fly safe!.