Double Your Impact!
Shawna knew her daughter Gabby ached to go to our Advanced Space Adventure Camp. It was the next logical step in her journey.
At an early age, Gabby enjoyed building complex adult Lego sets. By age 12, she won a robotics award at our Base Camp and narrowed the list of college prep schools she’d apply to.
But Shawna was recently laid off. And as much as it pained her, the single mom couldn’t afford to send Gabby back to camp.
You can help students like Gabby launch their futures!
Though Gabby attends a competitive school, it doesn’t provide all the innovative learning experiences she needs to realize her dream. As an eighth grader, Gabby has vowed to become an aerospace engineer.
That’s why Space Adventure Camp is so important. More than a summer camp, it can set a dynamic course in a young student’s life. One that not only challenges them to reach for the stars, but inspires them to change the face of STEM in the future.
Shawna had secured a scholarship to send Gabby to Base Camp. But when she applied for a second scholarship, we’d already run out of funds.
At last count, women made up only a third of those employed in STEM. And Black Americans made up only 9% of the STEM workforce.
Why? Many experts point to a lack of challenging coursework for students like Gabby who show an early aptitude for STEM. That’s bad news for students and for industries that drive our economy...
But your generosity helps Virginia Space Flight Academy break new barriers. We awarded nearly twice the number of scholarships this year!
That’s why our summer camps had an equal number of female and male students for the first time. Plus, 43% of campers were people of color. We’re also seeing higher representation in our STEM Academy!
Will you keep this momentum going with your best gift today?
To help, the Bahethi Family Foundation has agreed to match your gift up to $10,000. Your impact will be DOUBLED. But you must give by December 31.
Gabby didn’t take no for an answer. The donors who sent her to Base Camp agreed to pay for part of her second tuition...if she raised the rest. Within days, Gabby was headed back to camp!
I think determined students like Gabby need to be challenged so they can achieve their dreams and secure our nation’s future. If you agree, please make your tax-deductible gift to VASFA today.
With gratitude for your compassion and vision,
Kim Check–Executive Director