{"id":3173,"date":"2019-10-01T16:27:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T20:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=3173"},"modified":"2019-10-01T16:28:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T20:28:05","slug":"sun-n-fun-announces-new-corporate-structure-ace-takes-the-lead-as-sun-n-fun-flies-into-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2019\/10\/01\/sun-n-fun-announces-new-corporate-structure-ace-takes-the-lead-as-sun-n-fun-flies-into-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"SUN \u2018n FUN Announces New Corporate Structure ACE Takes the Lead as SUN \u2018n FUN Flies into the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The annual SUN \u2018n FUN Fly-In has been an iconic mainstay in Lakeland, FL for over four decades, and in that time, millions have attended the annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts. The event is hallmarked by the arrival of thousands of aircraft to the Lakeland Linder International Airport, and the showcase of aerospace-related exhibits, flight demonstrations, military displays, forums and\u00a0workshops and\u00a0seminars. It\u00a0is recognized as the second largest\u00a0event\u00a0of its kind in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 1st, 2019,\u00a0SUN \u2018n FUN\u00a0underwent\u00a0a corporate transformation, placing\u00a0it\u00a0within the overarching governance of the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), the\u00a0501(c)3\u00a0organization that has become a nationally recognized model for\u00a0aerospace\u00a0STEM\u00a0learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis restructuring of our organization places\u00a0ACE\u00a0in the right position as the leading entity,\u201d said John Leenhouts, CEO of ACE. \u201cSUN \u2018n FUN will always be\u00a0Spring Break for Pilots<\/em>, and everything people know and love about it will remain unchanged. With the unprecedented influence ACE is having on\u00a0engaging, educating, and accelerating the next generation of aerospace professionals, a reorganization was necessary. The Fly-In now is in the right position in our structure as the primary fundraiser for ACE, along with the myriad of other supporting activities held on the SUN \u2018n FUN Expo Campus.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe took our existing\u00a0Board\u00a0from SUN \u2018n FUN and redistributed that membership into two separate\u00a0Boards according to their interest and influence,\u201d explained Dr. Harley Richards, DDS., who will continue as Chairman of the SUN \u2018n FUN Fly-In\u00a0Board\u00a0of Directors. \u201cHaving each\u00a0Board\u00a0specialize in the area it is responsible for helps make us more efficient. SUN \u2018n FUN will continue as it always has, but now each\u00a0Board\u00a0can focus on specific\u00a0tasks.\u00a0It\u2019s a very exciting time, and we thank the thousands of our volunteers who have made this possible.\u201d\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Richards is an experienced pilot and owner of\u00a0Florida Dental Implants and Oral Surgery\u00a0in Lakeland.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, SUN \u2018n FUN introduced\u00a0ACE,\u00a0unveiling\u00a0the\u00a014-building\u00a0aerospace\u00a0STEM facility located on the\u00a0SUN \u2018n FUN Expo\u00a0Campus. Anchored by the Central Florida Aerospace Academy,\u00a0a Polk County Public High School Career Academy, and Florida Air Museum,\u00a0established as\u00a0Florida\u2019s official aviation museum\u00a0in 2005, ACE boasts an impressive array of STEM learning environments. Aerospace-themed summer camps and student outreach programs are presented by ACE staff to over 40,000 students annually, and educator assistance programs provide STEM-based curriculum and lesson plans for teachers at all grade levels. Hands-on learning activities are available for all ages, and even include aircraft construction and maintenance programs. There is even a fully functioning Boeing 727 on the campus that serves as a unique\u00a0learning laboratory.\u00a0ACE\u00a0provides annually over $2 million in education support, including pilot, maintainer, and college scholarships.\u00a0Up to\u00a0four\u00a0pilot scholarships\u00a0are awarded\u00a0monthly,\u00a0and\u00a0ACE\u00a0expects to announce its 100th\u00a0private pilot completion under that program this fall.\u00a0
Rick Garcia, President of Gulf Coast Avionics, is the Chairman of the\u00a0Board\u00a0for the new\u00a0ACE\u00a0organization. \u201cThe Aerospace Center for Excellence is now the primary company, and we have structured it using successful models of other education-based non-profit organizations in the U.S.\u201d, he said. \u201cWe are now much better positioned to secure funding through grants and philanthropic programs than\u00a0when we\u00a0were only an event. This new structure has also allowed us to attract industry partners to participate on our\u00a0Board\u00a0to broaden our scope and influence.\u201d\u00a0
Garcia reported that the ACE\u00a0Board\u00a0now has a member from Southwest Airlines, and that other\u00a0national\u00a0aerospace industry partners are also being considered, including the Airplane Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Aerospace Center for Excellence, Inc.:<\/strong>\u00a0The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has emerged as a nationally recognized leader in STEM-related and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, summer camps and scholarships aimed at preparing students for tomorrow’s aerospace challenges. Located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland, Florida, the organization is known for its annual SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo fundraising event as well as the Florida Air Museum, which is Florida’s Official Aviation Museum and Education Center. ACE is the world’s leader in producing licensed teenage private pilots and delivers youth programs that engage over\u00a040,000 students a year. For more information,\u00a0www.ACEedu.aero<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About SUN ‘n Fun Fly-In, Inc.:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit whose mission is\u00a0to preserve and enhance the future of flight through world-class events, inspiring and educating people of all ages. Year-round events, including the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, which is one of the world’s largest aviation events, raise funds for the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE). SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In annually raises over\u00a0$2M for ACE,\u00a0enabling the delivery of STEM-related and aerospace education programs. For more information,\u00a0www.flysnf.org<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The annual SUN \u2018n FUN Fly-In has been an iconic mainstay in Lakeland, FL for over four decades, and in that time, millions have attended the annual gathering of aviation… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}