Our educational outreach potential has just ballooned to enormous proportions!
In conjunction with the education team of the Commemorative Air Force, we are excited to announce the very first successful screening of our original film “Rise Above” inside a portable, cost-effective, pop-up dome theater. This means that the inspirational message of the Tuskegee Airmen can reach far beyond our tour directly to the 72 CAF units around the country!
That takes us from one film being shown inside the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit at stops around the country, to multiple films shown throughout the country at multiple events throughout the year.
Working together, we can grow our outreach numbers exponentially to inspire people to RISE ABOVE their own challenges and pursue their dreams, just like the Tuskegee Airmen. The potential for this new project is something to shout about, and we are poised and ready to help our fellow CAF units implement this awesome and cost-effective program.
The CAF Florida Wing is the first CAF unit to take up the challenge, led by Butch Stevens, their education technology officer. Recently, along with the CAF national education team and CAF VP of Education (and our very own P-51C Mustang pilot!) Bill Shepard, the group hosted the first “beta test” event in their dome theater, premiering the re-mastered film for this new format. Local children were invited to the CAF headquarters in Dallas, Texas for this fun, free and inspirational event. The energy and excitement was palpable, and this new RISE ABOVE experience was a huge hit.
With the portable dome theaters, our fellow CAF units are going to be able to extend the reach of the inspirational message of the Tuskegee Airmen directly to their communities. This is a giant leap forward towards our mission, and one that especially honors one of our founders, the late Don Hinz.
The CAF Red Tail Squadron was founded on Don’s vision to bring the story of the Tuskegee Airmen into every classroom in America. With hard work, determination and a lot of support from our donors and followers, we have evolved into a world class organization that inspires people of all ages with the remarkable history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen through our P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen, the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit mobile movie theater and free resources for educators.
When the Traveling Exhibit made it’s debut, we were able to take our message “off the tarmac” with this remarkable mobile movie theater, reaching events that our Mustang could not. And now, the launch of the CAF education team’s dome theaters marks the next leap forward, multiplying out outreach potential to enormous proportions.
Stay tuned to find out where you will be able to see our film “Rise Above” in a new dome theater near you. And to our fellow CAF units, we hope to see all of you on board for this exciting and cost-effective educational outreach program that will help you increase your impact within your own communities!
The CAF Red Tail Squadron is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to educating audiences across the country about the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots and their support personnel. Learn more at www.redtail.org.
