GOAL: To help the youth of Chicago learn to fly.
By 2035, roughly 1.5 million pilots and technicians will be needed across America, as well as 800,000 general employees in the field of aviation. Plus, Chicago is a major hub for aviation, with O’Hare International being one of the busiest airports in the world, offering direct flights to more than 200 destinations.
And yet, even with this abundance of opportunity available mere miles from Chicago, gifted children in underserved neighborhoods are often unable to take full advantage.
That’s why The Daisie Foundation has partnered with Northwest Flyers and the Schaumburg regional airport to host this one-of-a-kind event, where we will introduce the joys of STEM and aviation to select 7th & 8th grade students from the Englewood, Lawndale, Little Village & West Garfield communities and more. The Northwest Flyers’ facility includes a flight school, air charter service and aircraft maintenance shop, and we couldn’t think of a more perfect, intimate setting for these deserving children to learn.
Through a hands-on field trip experience, students will be able to tour the Schaumburg airport and the Northwest Flyers facilities while meeting pilots, technicians, executives and other professionals. For the first time, they’ll be able to get a feel for what STEM looks like in action, from the airplane hangars and planes to the people who keep everything running smoothly.
Help us inspire a future in aeronautics and launch exciting career paths for these promising minds, so that they might turn their dreams into a lucrative reality.
THE INITIATIVE
- Our Goal: Introduce select 7th & 8th grade students from three schools in the Englewood, Lawndale and Little Village communities to the joys of STEM and aviation
- STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) encompasses some of the world’s most advanced and lucrative careers
- By 2035, nearly 1.5 million pilots and technicians will be needed, with another 800k jobs in general aviation
- By partnering with Northwest Flyers and the Schaumburg Regional Airport, we will give these underserved youth the perfect setting to gain knowledge, experience and inspiration, all of which are needed to ignite a passion for aviation
- We plan to create an immersive field trip experience, including tours of the facility, hangars and planes, as well as interactions with pilots, technicians, airline executives and other aviation professionals
