Greetings Family and Friends,
We hope this newsletter finds you well. We have been busy, and we are excited to update you on the continued inspiration of AJ’s legacy.
As you will see on the AJ Blain Foundation website, we have added a “Circle of Friends” tab. We are continually humbled by the touch of AJ’s reach. AJ’s network was extensive, and stories are told often of how AJ brought people together (often around a harebrained and/or brilliant adventure of some kind) and now those prior strangers are ongoing friends today.
AJ had a talent for networking and connecting, bringing individuals together from all walks of life. We have watched this network and “circle of friends” continue to grow, highlighting and honoring so many visions of personal growth, leadership development, business success, and aviation—all passions that AJ exemplified.
We are excited to share highlights of AJ’s continued legacy!
Leadership Grant Highlights
The foundation is privileged to have provided over 100 grants for individuals seeking leadership development, personal growth and health. These individuals have been participating in local Townsend Leadership Programs (TLP) and giving back to our community in various ways.
Leadership Grant Recipient Highlight: Arieanna Ramage
There once was a little girl who stood waving her arms between her dad’s recliner and the TV, desperately wanting his attention. Wanting to be seen. Wanting to be noticed. She was almost always met with a response of, “You make a better door than a window.” That little girl took what was meant for humor and internalized it believing she needed to be unseen, quiet and out of the way. That little girl grew into a young woman that deep down still felt that she wasn’t valuable enough to be noticed or heard. That little girl is me, Arieanna Ramage.
When I was awarded an AJ Blain Foundation scholarship and entered TLP three and a half years ago, I was pretty sure that I was already emotionally healthy and had most of this side of my life figured out. I truly thought I was doing TLP proactively. For as long as I can remember, I have been a helper and after many years of growth and reflection in TLP, I can now look back on that little girl in front of the TV and understand why. Helping others gets you seen and noticed. Helping others can be a very successful way to hide your own pain without even realizing it. This is just one of the many areas of my life that TLP has helped me uncover and heal.
This healing would not have been possible without the life and death of AJ Blain. Towards the end of our time together as a close friend of AJ’s, we were always discussing “feelings and shit”- his words, not mine. While alive, I watched him grow by being more emotionally attuned to himself and others. Then after his passing, I witnessed and have been a part of the immense ripple effect of his wanting to get healthy on an emotional level. It has weaved its way through our entire community and beyond.
I was personally blessed by his hard work in his own life through our friendship, but I have also been impacted through the many lives that his pursuit of emotional health has changed after his death. One of those being my TLP Director, Diana Shay. She has been my personal TLP director for the last 3.5 years and has helped me rescue and heal that little girl, giving both versions of me a voice and a strong sense of value. I am now able to use my gifting and love of helping others without the underlying need to be seen and find my worth in it.
This was all because of AJ and the foundation started in his memory. My TLP group often sits together on our meeting days in awe and gratitude that we are all here growing and getting healthy because of AJ’s life and death. The AJ Blain Foundation has made it possible for those who could not have done it otherwise. I am one of those people. And I am just one of many, many stories of healing and growth that has been fueled by the AJ Blain Foundation. AJ’s circle of friends continues to grow far and wide because of the incredible generosity of the foundation and its donors.
– Arieanna Ramage, May 2024
Education Grants
In addition to Leadership, two major focus areas of the AJ Blain Foundation that carry out AJ’s legacy are Education and Aviation. Each year, we are inspired by the young people in pursuit of both!
The AJ Blain Foundation has awarded 6 Educational Grants to upper level aviation students at Rocky Mountain College based on academic merit and financial need.
Furthermore, an additional educational grant was awarded to a student who exemplifies AJ’s love for flying and lives daily AJ’s famous phrase, “So, what else?” This student is chasing her education and career, and is daily giving back and sharing her love of flying with others.
Aviation Grant Highlight: Alayna Lawson
After a conversation with a high school guidance counselor and Al Blain’s phone number in her pocket, Alayna followed a nudge to pursue aviation as a potential career path. A high percentage of pilots have aviation in their blood and they grow up flying with family members and navigating the myriad directions the aviation industry might offer. As a junior at Skyview and with no background in aviation, no experience around airplanes, and no personal connections in the field, Alayna was at a loss of where to begin until she followed her gut and reached out to call the number in her pocket.
As was often said of AJ, no one was a stranger, only a friend. Alayna experienced the same from Al. The spark lit as she walked around the hanger at Billings Flying Service, catching the vision for what it was to be a pilot. “This is it,” she said. “This is what I want to do with my life.” AJ’s ability to share his passion and bring a stranger into his circle in a matter of minutes mirrored the same ability of his father, who, in sharing his passion for aviation, fanned the flame for Alayna.
With a map in front of her, she pursued her private pilot license her senior year of high school and began looking at to make a career in aviation. Connecting with the AJ Blain foundation further wrapped Alayna in the arms of her new “aviation family.” She received a scholarship from the foundation, which made possible pursuing her aviation degree at Rocky Mountain College. Alayna will obtain her commercial license this spring as she completes her second year at RMC, and she is on track to be certified as a flight instructor next year.
“It’s hard to create a passion and career in aviation without a connection,” Alayna mentioned. “I was that young girl who had no idea where to start.” The Blain’s opened a door, and Alayna walked through. Her enthusiasm for flying exemplifies the passion AJ had for being in the air.
As only a sophomore in college, working full time with Beacon Air Group and chasing her dream career in aviation, Alayna is already giving back and passing on what the AJ Blain Foundation has gifted her. As of this spring, Alayna and a friend will launch their non-profit organization, AviateHER, with a focus on creating opportunities and mentorship to bring young girls into the field of aviation. Similar to AJ’s passion of getting others in the air, Alayna is continuing AJ’s legacy, knowing that he has become a part of her journey and will continue to be as she is able to pass the spark along to the next generation.
Organizational Grant Highlights and Other Special Projects:
We are excited to also share that we awarded 13 organization grants. It has been a privilege to witness the ripple of AJ’s legacy as each of these grants touches many people in our community.
Organizational Grant Highlights:
Elysian School Aero Club
Inspired to bring a group of students together around all things flight, Cody Baker, an air traffic controller and father of two students at Elysian and Nolan Dow, a current eighth grader at Elysian, teamed up to start an Aero Club. Nolan met with donors who might support the Aero Club, and together he and Cody began brainstorming what might be possible.
“I just love aviation and wanted to help other kids at school experience it too,” said Nolan. “I want them to see how cool it is, so when Cody offered to be the leader of the club, I was excited,” he explained.
Nolan’s passion for flight and his appetite to learn, create, and lead mirrored AJ’s passion and enthusiasm throughout his life. Connecting with the foundation was a natural fit. Nolan applied, and Elysian School received a grant in the Fall of 2023 and the club kicked off.
The club gathers weekly after school. Anywhere from 10-15 students trickle in ready for a club meeting and to talk aviation, continue work on their Aero Club projects, or take a turn in the Microsoft flight simulator. After a brief report from the club president and secretary, it is typical that the students participate in a mini-lesson on “concepts in aviation.” Whether historical advancements, concepts of physics, or intriguing flight facts, the lessons are always interesting. After the lesson, students often plan their flights on AirNav, Flightaware, and/or Live ATC, and then they take their turn practicing flying a drone or in the flight simulator! Currently the club is finishing construction on cardboard RC aircrafts they plan to fly this Spring.
A highlight for the club was a recent field trip to the flight line. The students toured the hangers at Billings Flying Service and the National Guard, where they climbed in multiple aircraft and learned of many opportunities in the aviation industry. They then made their way to Beacon FBO and finally to Air Traffic Control tower. “My hope is that the kids will see many facets of the industry and be inspired to grow up and work in it,” said Cody.
As the school year is wrapping up, Cody, Nolan, and the crew are still dreaming and scheming for new projects, and Cody is still hoping to recruit a few pilots to speak with their group. As AJ found it so inspiring to share his passion of aviation with others, Cody and Nolan know what that “flying bug” is all about, and with the help of the grant, they are excited to be spreading that “bug” at Elysian School.
Calming Cave
Another highlight has been the development and construction of the Calming Cave at Wise Wonders Science and Discovery Museum.
It is immediately different. Moving from the hustle and bustle of fast feet, high stimulation, and collisions of noises, the quiet, dim, comfort of the calming cave offers a unique respite. After a year of planning, observing, and tweaking, Wise Wonder’s Children’s Museum is proud of the newly implemented calming cave that was made possible through a grant from the AJ Blain Foundation. As AJ believed strongly in the vision of healthy, connected leaders, he recognized that one needs a space to reflect and honor the emotions that are present in each of us. Our future leaders are our children; why not start encouraging this growth now?
While the museum is highly stimulating, encouraging meaningful learning, and offering spaces to get all the wiggles out, the calming cave is a thoughtful, reflective space full of varying textures that allows children and parents the opportunity to slow down and connect with themselves and each other.
As one child mentioned of being in the calming cave, “I can learn about my thoughts in here.” What a gift to have a space to allow us all to move out of the complexity of the world and into a space of calm where we can hear and honor our own thoughts.
Shawna Bonini stated with pride, “Everything in the cave is touchable and it intentionally offers opportunities for children to let their guards down. It is totally different from any other place in town.” She continued telling stories of children who will lay for hours in the cave, watching the bubbles and finding comfort in the calm. Occasionally we find mothers and babies, siblings, and friends resting quietly together as well. “Daily I hear gratitude for this exhibit at the museum,” Shawna added, “and we are grateful to the AJ Blain Foundation for making it possible!”
The museum is currently working on a rocket ship and have hopes to implement a helicopter to expand their aviation exhibits in the near future. We are excited to see what is yet to come!
Thank you for your continued support.
As AJ’s legacy continues to ripple in our community and his network continues to build, we are humbled and grateful for each of you and your continued support.
Please join us as we are inspired daily to ask “So, what else?”
AJ’s Family
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