The It’s About Time Sponsorship is overseen by The Abingdon Foundation and awards a full registration to one of three Industry Conferences, round trip airfare, and room and board during the conference to a woman 18 years of age or older. Along with first access to seminars and multiple networking opportunities, we will introduce the winner to key people in their industry who will share their experiences. Applicants are not required to be pilots, divers or in the aviation or dive industries. The goal is to invite someone to see all of the different avenues of their industry (i.e. aviation includes: engineering to aerobatics to maintenance and airlines).
The criteria is simple. The applicant chooses the format for their application. We have had stickers designed, essays written, videos shot, and even someone translated our website into Spanish! The one that exhibits the most passion goes. Creativity and multiple submissions are encouraged.
What we were looking for from an individual is support of Abingdon Foundation You want us to support you by flying you out, putting you up in a hotel, buying your registration to the conference. We want you to support us in return. What would you do for the Abingdon Foundation that will prove to us that you are the one we should bring with us? Use your natural talents and skills to make your application stand out. Our past winners have designed a sticker that we now include with every product – it has become a key staple of our branding. Another past winner translated our website into Spanish so that more people in their country could learn about The Abingdon Co. in their native language. These are the types of applications we are looking for. You have a talent that makes you shine. What is that talent or skill that you possess that you can use to support the Abingdon Foundation? Prove to us and we will support you by flying you out to the conference.
abingdonfoundation.org. Our last day for submission is January 31, 2018. We will announce the winner for each sponsorship 14 days after the due date.
This sponsorship is awarded internationally and there are no pre-requisites like flight time, resumes, or accomplishments that are required.
Our Sponsorship was inspired by Haley when we came by her on a chance meeting in Redmond, Oregon. A high school senior, Haley had been accepted at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott, Arizona, but she didn’t know whether to focus her degree in engineering or flying. Without thinking, we offered to have her join the crew and gave her a full registration to the Women In Aviation Conference. We thought Haley might gain some insight into the industries and perhaps help her with her career path. Three weeks later, Haley was on a plane to Orlando, Florida, where she spent the next 3 days in amazement of all the different fields of aviation women were involved in. She has since gone on to ERAU and is pursuing her dreams.
Our first International Sponsorship winner, Maria is an accomplished artist who designed The Abingdon Co. famous sticker that says, Ladies, it’s Time to Fly. Maria is from Dominican Republic where she is deeply involved with arts, music, and working with deaf children. You can see her project, The Muse Seek Project, here. She continues to work on her private license while bringing awareness of issues about music and art through her magazine, the ARTicle.
From Guadalajara, Mexico, Aurelia loves going to Airshows to see aerobatic pilots like Jacquie B fly in loops and rolls. Enamored with aerobatics, Aurelia met Jacquie B after one of her performances and Jacquie suggested that she apply for the It’s About Time Sponsorship. Though Aurelia had only a few hours in an airplane, she knew she would be happy in this field. Since she won the sponsorship, Aurelia began working with the Flyers Team, an aerobatic team of professional pilots in Canada, USA, and Mexico and is studying at the Academia Internacional Aeronáutica in Jalisco, Mexico.
Orla has always been fascinated by aviation – especially helicopters. She is currently working towards her commercial rating in helicopters and hopes to be one of the few lady aviators in working as a helicopter pilot in Ireland. Currently, she works in journalism and is an amateur videographer and professional writer. She continues to fly helicopters when she can and remains in contact with the many women she met at the 2014 Women in Aviation Conference.
Jessica Richardson is the oldest of seven sisters and two brothers from a farm in Indiana. Along with being incredibly computer savvy with project management (she manages multiple clients from her home business), graphic design, and her famous blog, http://sevenfarmgirlsisters.com/, she acquired her Private Pilot Certificate in January 2016. She created a set of stationary that we send out to our fans yearly that has great aviation quotes and The Abingdon Co. branding in order to win the sponsorship. Since winning the sponsorship, she has completed her Commercial pilot training and is deciding where aviation will take her next.
The talented poet born and raised in Ghana in West Africa, is studying aviation at University in South Africa. With support from her family, Audrey has been chasing her dreams of becoming a pilot since she was a young girl. For her application, Audrey wrote a beautiful poem about women empowerment in both French and English. It so moved the Crew, and we knew she would be our first recipient from Africa. Softspoken at first, Audrey blossomed at the conference and left with contacts in both the US and Africa that will help her carry out her dreams.