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RESERVE — Last year, more than 200 St. John the Baptist Parish children experienced the thrill of flying in a small aircraft while gaining awareness of endless opportunities in the aviation field.

The fourth annual Aviation Awareness Day takes flight from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 18 at the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport, located at 355 Airport Road in Reserve. A rainout date is scheduled for April 25 in the event of inclement weather on April 18.

Hosted by local nonprofit Guys Achieving Goals, this event is free for families with children ages 5 to 18. Children must have a parent or legal garden present to consent to the flight.

“The primary purpose of this event is to expose and educate youth in St. John the Baptist Parish and surrounding parishes about aviation,” organizers said. “This event is further designed to stimulate an interest in future educational and employment possibilities within S.T.E.M. related fields by exposing and educating young people on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics of flying.”
Organizers say the secondary purpose is experiential. Attendees will have a direct opportunity to enjoy a flight experience with participating pilots. This experience directly engages boys and girls in aviation, introduces them to inspiring role models, and supports the primary purpose of stimulating an interest in future educational and employment opportunities within the field.

Guys Achieving Goals founder Paul Green is a LaPlace resident and a 1986 graduate of East St. John High School. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and an aviator who has been employed for the past 26 years by FedEx as an aircraft maintenance technician.

It was his vision and mission to promote aviation in his home parish via an Aviation Awareness Day in order to introduce young men and women to diverse professional opportunities within the STEM field. Aviation career paths include air traffic controller, aircraft maintenance, aircraft piloting and more.

Children from schools in St. John and surrounding parishes are being invited to this year’s event. The 2020 Aviation Awareness Day is expected to welcome a minimum of 1,500 children, in addition to chaperones, parents, public officials, media and event sponsors.

Various levels of sponsorship opportunities are available to help Guys Achieving Goals accomplish this massive feat.

All sponsorship commitments and recognition forms must be received by April 8, 2020 to permit our team the time to print all sponsor recognition and logo sensitive material for this event. Checks can be made payable to Guys Achieving Goals or deposited electronically.

For more information, email sjaviationday@gmail.com.