This year, Wings of Support is joining the World Aviation Festival as its charity partner. Wings of Support, a charity founded 25 years ago by a KLM captain is an independent association helping children across KLM destinations by financially supporting projects run by local organisations. The charity’s mission is to assist projects that focus on education, healthcare and/or temporary shelter for groups of children, by establishing sustainable relationships.

Annette Groeneveld, the charity’s Chairwoman joined for a brief conversation, sharing insight into its impactful work. Groeneveld explained that cabin and cockpit staff volunteer as project coordinators, nurturing lasting relationships with local organisations during layovers. Sharing further details on the projects themselves, Groeneveld explained:

“We try to assist them with tangible things like building classrooms or sanitary facilities. But we also try to assist them to hire professional staff. So by paying salaries of for example, professional teachers or sports coaches and this really helps them in their continuity […] Of course, when there is an organisation like ours, who says ‘if you hire this teacher, we will pay his salary for at least three years’ – that gives them a level of comfort so they can look at the future and say: OK, we can keep this organisation going.”

Discussing the decision to partner with the World Aviation Festival, Groeneveld said it was a “no brainer,” sharing the event’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.

To donate to Wings of Support, click here. To learn more about the charity and its partnership with the World Aviation Festival, watch the brief interview below.

Questions asked include:

  1. For anyone who is unfamiliar with your organisation, can you give us a brief overview of  your charity?
  2. Overview & how/why it was founded/previous projects
  3. What would you say is your unique selling point?
  4. Are there any upcoming projects you are particularly excited about?
  5. What made you decide to collaborate with the World Aviation Festival as our charity partner?
  6. In your opinion, how does the event deliver tangible value to the industry?
  7. If people want to get involved or help with the charity, what are the first steps they should take?

 

 

For more from our 2024 partners also see: