District VII
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Randy Gibson
Vice President
rgibson@mmrca.org
503 Mall Ct. # 289, Lansing MI 48912
(317) 688-4364
www.amadistrict-vii.org
Hello District VII members. I hope the summer has gone extremely well and that you have had many brilliant flights with no (or few) unexpected meetings with the ground.
As you have probably noticed in reading my past articles, I enjoy sharing the passion and camaraderie of the hobby. This month, I want to highlight a club, the work the members do, and their actions to promote the hobby.
Let me share what the Capital Area Radio Drone Squadron (CARDS) in Grand Ledge, Michigan, did. The club’s actions really demonstrate how much all of us enjoy sharing model aviation with others. I’ll let CARDS board member Mike Pollack take it from here.
Many members of the CARDS, AMA chartered club #353, became familiar with Abdu Ahmiden, a Grand Ledge High School senior, in 2021. Abdu is a pleasant young person with a terrific attitude. Interestingly, he is comfortable hanging around with a bunch of old guys largely because of his interest in aviation and the RC hobby.
What makes this story more fascinating is learning about Abdu. He is an immigrant, after spending many years as a refugee. His home country is Eritrea, and knowing this fact helps further appreciate his situation. Samaritas, a Michigan human service organization, sponsors Abdu. Ann and Steve Rivet are Abdu’s foster parents.
Many weeks ago, the genesis of an idea to further support to Abdu was initiated by Jim Ellis, one of the members of the CARDS. While Abdu was learning both about aircraft and participating in the CARDS student program, he wanted to see about getting
To give him a jump-start into the hobby, three CARDS members donated some new and used equipment, including a new Sig Seniorita, a 3D foam park flyer, a Spektrum radio, batteries, and accessories. Through the generosity of Jim, John C. Smith, and Mike Pollock, this young RC enthusiast and new CARDS member will hopefully become a lifelong member of our RC community.
Thank you, Mike, and thanks to the CARDS club and its members for helping this young man enter the world of aeromodeling and sharing the passion with him. Let’s hope we can all continue to pay it forward and enjoy the feeling we get from sharing the hobby with others.
