Mission Moment: Soaring Towards New Horizons

When we said “fly”, they asked “how high”?   Its community partners like iFLY that continue to elevate the world of education through their generosity.

iFLY, the world’s largest indoor skydiving operator, is proud to announce their partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools by awarding $10,000 over the next two years to The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc. This generous donation will provide scholarship opportunities to Baltimore County Public Schools high school students to attend post-secondary education. The focus of the scholarships will be in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related career pathways. iFLY Baltimore, along with their Corporate office in Austin, Texas, is committed to the growth of education and the future of the community.

In attendance were Brandon McMann, General Manager, iFLY Baltimore, Amy Ebling Senior Manager, iFLY Baltimore, Douglas Eder, President of The Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc., George Roberts, Community Superintendent for Zone 2, Nancy Hafford, Executive Director, Towson Chamber of Commerce, Joan Sellers, Membership Coordinator, Deborah Phelps, Executive Director of The Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc. and Laura Lemon, Associate Director of the Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc.

Our education champions at iFLY are innovators in the world of STEM.  Their approach to education is fun and engaging, demonstrating authentic literacy in many ways across several platforms.   iFLY invests in education through its iFLY STEM program, allowing its participants to engage in hands-on experiments to safely enjoy the thrill of flight while applying integral math and science skills to the experience. The program has been developed by local educators to align with ongoing curriculum, ensuring STEM field trips are educational, relevant and fun.

Ms. Deborah Phelps, Executive Director of The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, expressed the gratitude of this partnership. 

“Because of partnerships such as iFLY, we are able to provide our students with the resources not only to attend post-secondary education but to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be globally competitive. This collaborative effort impacts our students, our teachers, and our schools with many experiences and opportunities that extend, enrich and enhance the excellence within our district. We thank iFLY and proudly call them our Education Champions, our Ambassadors” 

In 2017, 60,000 students nationwide participated in iFLY’s STEM program – an increase of more than 114 percent over the previous year – and the company hosted 2,700 individual field trip visits. iFLY expects to see continued growth of the program this year.

Thank you iFLY.  The future looks bright.