The Pineville Airport was the scene of family fun, aviation and raising money for an eminently worthy cause as The Experimental Aircraft Association’s Chapter 614 hosted a charity fly-in Saturday, July 29.
The event was held to raise money for Duffel of Dreams, an organization dedicated to providing children placed into foster care with a loving start in their journey.
Forty pilots flew into the Pineville airport from all over Louisiana and surrounding states. The pilots generously gave airplane rides at no cost to over 100 children.
In addition to the free airplane rides, there were superheroes and Disney characters on hand as well as inflatable playhouses, food, and craft booths.
The fun family event has a serious purpose.
All too often in our community, children have to be removed from their homes and placed into foster care, many times in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
That is where Duffel of Dreams steps in to help.
The organization, a 501c-3 non-profit, gives children placed in to foster care in the CENLA parishes a suitcase filled with personal care items, clothes, and items such as a stuffed animal and blanket that give the children a reminder that there are people who care about them.
In the words of Duffel of Dreams founder and CEO, Danielle Poteet, a 2016 Pineville High School alumna, “The suitcases are a dove sending hope to God’s children in foster care.”
Saturday’s Fly-In for Duffel of Dreams was the first of what will hopefully be an annual event. Thanks to a generous pledge from the Modern Woodmen to match any funds raised, over $10,000.00 will be going towards assisting children facing difficult circumstances.
Duffel of Dreams delivered their first duffels to the Children’s Advocacy Network (CASA) in June and will be delivering 150 more shortly.
