Connecticut Space & Aviation Day
Pratt & Whitney
Supports
Hole in The Wall Gang Camp
by Chris Brunson
Photography courtesy of Pratt & Whitney, Pablo Zevallos photographer
Heather J. Summerer, Pratt & Whitney, communications manager, military engines, and J. Michael Smiles, director of development, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. CCM Photo
“Aviation is proof, that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.” - Eddie Rickenbacker
Actions speak louder than words.
The people and management of Pratt & Whitney’s Military Engines division recently presented a $20,000 sponsorship check to the board of directors at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford.
The Annual Space & Aviation Day at Bradley International Airport is held each year as a benefit for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. P&W, Military Engines, is the premier/presenting sponsor of Bradley Space & Aviation Day (see below for details).
The family event is coordinated by Bradley Family Day, Inc., a group of volunteers from public and private businesses based in and around the airport dedicated to raising money for the camp. Their mission: “We are counting on your help to give a group of kids with life-threatening illnesses the best summer of their lives.”
Pratt & Whitney has supported the family fun day for the past three years, with all proceeds going directly to the camp.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp provides children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a camping experience while extending year-round support to their families and healthcare providers.
All Hole in the Wall Gang programs are offered free of charge to campers and their families. Each summer more than 1,000 children between the ages of 7 and 15 attend from across the country. The cost is about $2,500 per child to underwrite a summer full of memories.
Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, stepped up to the plate. In addition, more than 40 P&W employees assembled goodie bags, filled with toiletry items, water bottles, sun hats, flashlights, rain ponchos and other items, for summer campers.
Pratt & Whitney, a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines, is part of United Technologies Corporation (UTC), whose companies include Carrier heating and air conditioning, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products, Otis elevators and escalators, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Sikorsky helicopters, UTC Fire & Security systems and UTC Power fuel cells.
Military engine models produced by P&W are at work inside some of the active duty aircraft that will visit Connecticut for the Space and Aviation event at Bradley. P&W engines include the F135 for the Joint Strike Fighter; F119 powering up the F-22 Raptor; the F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III; F100 for F-15 and F-16 fighters; J52 for the EA-6B Prowler; TF33 powering AWACS, Joint STARS, B-52, C-141 and KC-135 aircraft; TF30 for the F-111; PT6 for T-6A and UH-1N aircraft; and JT15 for the T-1A trainer and Pegasus UCAV.
Resources:
For information about the Bradley Space & Aviation Day see details (and directions) on www.spaceandaviationday.org.
About ANG
The men and women of Connecticut's Air National Guard train and equip for rapid deployment during military actions and war. Their aircraft stand at the ready at Bradley International Airport, Connecticut.
Elements of the 103rd Air Control Squadron are also called into action to support during natural disasters such as floods, forest fires, logistical support to civil defense authorities and counter-drug operations.
About HITWGC
The Hole in the Wall Gang camp-sponsored programs also provide healthcare professionals and social workers with support and training and organize retreats for children’s parents. Click here to see a related story about the camp.
For more information about corporate sponsorships visit www.holeinthewallgang.org or call (203) 772-0522.
About UTC, Global
For more information about United Technologies Corporation or Pratt & Whitney, visit www.utc.com and follow the link to P&W.
