In 2016, the Duncan Family Trust has continued its strong history of supporting Duncan Aviation team members and the communities in which we live by focusing efforts on social welfare and education. The Karen K. Duncan Scholarship Program has now awarded $1.48 million in the form of 241 individual gifts. The Philanthropy Committee has expanded this endeavor with a recent announcement that we will now also be funding scholarships for children of employees to gain real-world experience and earn college credit at the same time. In Lincoln, Nebraska, they will do this through The Career Academy, a program formed through a partnership between Southeast Community College and Lincoln Public Schools, which welcomed its first group of students in 2015.
Duncan Aviation is continuing to enrich local communities by growing partnerships with special education students. There is an established relationship in Battle Creek with a program called Project Search, and the company recently launched a similar program in Lincoln with Vocational Opportunity in Community Experience (VOICE). As part of these programs, students and teachers work at the Duncan Aviation facility, which teaches the students vocational skills that will help them transition into adult living.
The Duncan Family Trust has also continued to partner with and support many local organizations including the following:
Duncan Aviation's Soaring to Serve Committee has continued to provide opportunities for team members to go out and serve our communities through action. In June and July, the Duncan Family Trust sponsored a 60 Days of Giving volunteer drive in which the team members who logged the most volunteer hours won a cash prize for the non-profit of their choice. Employees have also collected donations of school supplies and food and volunteered with the following organizations:
The Soaring to Serve committee also partners with Duncan Aviation's Green Team to organize various recycling and conservation educational efforts, the Adopt-a-Highway roadside cleanup, a clothing drive, and a coat drive. Employees are also encouraged to take their pop tabs off cans and collect them in custom-made Ronald McDonald houses for recycling and donation to this national charity. These initiatives help reduce waste, promote and increase recycling and other forms of green disposal, and simplify sustainable living while facilitating a passion that will protect our planet for future generations.
The mission of the Duncan Family Trust is to enhance the quality of education, create positive change in the community, increase awareness, and interest in the aviation industry and support the arts.
Visit the Duncan Family Trust website to learn more: www.duncanfamilytrust.org.