Alaska
Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach                        
Women in Safe Homes
Fisher House – JBER                                             
Food Bank of Alaska
Alaska State Elks Association (ASEA)                 
Eagle River Boys and Girls Club of Alaska

Alabama
Flags of Honor Corporation

Arkansas
Humane Society of Pulaski County                           

Arizona
Empowerment Through Sports                             
PetFinder Foundation

California
School on Wheels                                                 
Shelter to Soldier
Los Angeles LGBT Center                                    
Warrior Foundation Freedom Station
River Oak Center for Children                               
Hugs and Bags

Colorado
St. Vrain School System                                       
Project Sanctuary
Audrey’s Great Strides to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Connecticut
Our Companions Animal Sanctuary

Delaware
Food Bank of Delaware

Florida
Hubbard House                                                     
Angel Flight SE
Family Resources                                                  
Fish with a Hero
Foar from Home                                                    
Jacksonville Icemen Foundation
Stone Lakes Elementary PTA

Georgia
Coco’s Cupboard
Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project/Sunlit Earth

Guam
Fisher House – TAMC

Hawaii
Kapiolani Health Foundation                                 
Institute for Human Services

Iowa
Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue                      

Idaho
Idaho Humane Society

Illinois
Honor Flight                                                           
Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club
BraveHearts – Veterans Program

Indiana
Boy Scout Troop 22 Hog Roast                            
Angels Anonymous of IN       
Special Olympics of Indiana                            
Little Red Door Cancer Agency

Kansas
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing                       
Kids TLC        

Louisiana
Desormeaux Foundation                                       
Faith House
Hearts of Hope                                                          

Massachusetts
Catie’s Closet
American Heart Association                                  
Good Sports

Maryland
Rural Dog Rescue                                                 
Team River Runner
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides

Maine
Camp Sunshine

Michigan
Operation Good Cheer                                          
Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan

Minnesota
National Ataxia Foundation                                   
360 Communities
For the Love of Pete                                              
Ten Thousand Books
Finnegans Community Fund                                 
ZMP Childcare Board
Minnesota Aviation and Career Exploration Camp
Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota – Beat the Odds

Missouri
The German St Vincent Orphan Association        
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

Montana
Camp Mak-A-Dream

North Carolina
CROSSED – The Youth Law Center                     
The Bicycle Man Outreach Project
Victory Junction                                                     
First Ward
Friends of Hamlet                  
Crossnore Communities for Children                    
Gold Star Teen Adventures

Nebraska
Together Omaha                                                   
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

New Hampshire
Federal Employees Childcare of Nashua             
End 68 Hours of Hunger
Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter                           
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Nashua Children’s Home                                      
Forgotten Angels Shelter
Family Promise of Greater Nashua at  Anne Marie House              

New Jersey
Just One Neighborhood Program                             
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Independence Region

New Mexico
New Mexico Veterans Integration Center

Nevada
Three Square                                                         
Project 150
Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation
Nature Conservancy

New York
Branches Long Island Food Pantry                       
Lustgarten Foundation
National Hemophilia Foundation                           
Force Blue
New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth        
The Butterfly Effect Project
The Brain and Behavior Research Center

Ohio
Toys for Tots                                                          
Sylvania Youth Hockey
Neighborhood Alliance                                          
Downs on the Farm

Oklahoma
Challenge Air                                                         
A New Leaf

Oregon
The Pixie Project                                                   
Schoolhouse Supplies
Portland Homeless Family Solutions                    
All Kids are Scientists – ImpactNW

Pennsylvania
Friends of Glen Providence Park                          
Toys for Tots
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Independence Region   
Alpha Bravo Canine
Cuddle Me Program                                              
Flying Fur Rescue

Puerto Rico
Hogar Cuna San Cristóbal                                    
Fundacion Golitos

Rhode Island
Operation Stand Down Rhode Island

South Carolina
Wings for Kids                                                       
Justin Pepper House

Tennessee
Forrest Spence Fund 5K                                       
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Texas
BEAR – Be A Resource for CPS Kids                       
Kids Matter International                                       
6 Stones
El Paso Children’s Foundation                              
Putt Cancer in its Place
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation                               
Orange Out
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition                        
Lone Survivor
Desert Downs BMX After School Program           
Riding Unlimited
Houston Food Bank                                               
Boot Campaign

Virginia
The Doorways                                                       
The Laurel Center of Winchester
GRIP – Guidance Resources for Independent People

Vermont
Heart of Winooski Foundation

Washington
Leap for Lupus                                                       
The Jonah Project
Ronald McDonald House                                      
Amara
Northport American Legion                                   
The Store House
Communities in Schools of Washington State

Wisconsin
Fellow Mortals                                                       
Manitowoc WI Salvation Army

Washington D.C.
USASOA                                                                
Salvation Army Alexandria Citadel Corps
Community of Hope

National
Kidpower International
Susan G. Komen Foundation                                
World Central Kitchen

Backpack Programs
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Washington, D.C.

Holiday Programs
Arizona
California
Florida
Hawaii
Indiana
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Texas
Washington
Washington, D.C.

Leidos
Minneapolis ARTCC – ZMP
Boston ARTCC – ZBW
Washington ARTCC – ZDC
Miami ARTCC – ZMA

John and Illeana Olinger
Kristen Laubach
The Rhodes Family
Kansas City ARTCC – ZKC
SkyOne Federal Credit Union
Andrew and Anna LeBovidge
Butch and Betty Cooper
John and Andrea Orr
New York TRACON – N90
New York ARTCC – ZNY
Fort Worth ARTCC – ZFW
Houston ARTCC – ZHU

Jeffery and Yevette Woods
David Romano
Brad and Kristena Starkey
New Bedford Panoramex
Spokane ATCT/TRACON – GEG
Denver ARTCC – ZDV
Seattle ARTCC – ZSE
Miami ATCT – MIA
Region X ENE
Kim Beckett
Scott and Dina Earl
Corrie Conrad
Oakland ARTCC – ZOA
John and Trish Gilbert

Paul and Debra Rinaldi
Professional Women Controllers
Duluth ATCT/TRACON – DLH
Milwaukee ATCT – MKE
John F. Kennedy ATCT – JFK
Dallas Fort Worth ATCT – DFW
Jeremy Wacker
Jimmy and Miriam Clouse
Natalie Foster
Matthew and Peach Baugh
Dion Johnson
Kyle McHugh
Ashley and Annie Olsen
Jason Boyde
Travis Weber
Lisa and Ray Fulford
Jason Arnold
Devin Carlisto
Joshua Hollands
Randy Moore
Trevor Barry
Aaron McCrea
John and Erin Murdock
Betsy Beaumont

NCF – Get to know us!

The NATCA Charitable Foundation thrives on seeking out areas of need that go un-funded or are missed through typical donor drives. We seek out organizations that serve a similar purpose, to help the under-served. Across the country, one program at a time, NATCA members, friends and family all volunteer to help bring smiles to children and adults in need. Our programs vary from year to year. This link reflects a list of our most current programs. The smiles and cheers from the many we assist make any number of volunteer hours a worthy endeavor. Please contact us with any questions about current or new programs. We love to hear from our supporters as we continue to make every dollar count!

Executive Board/NCF Team

Directors:
Kimberly Beckett
Jason Boyde
Andrew LeBovidge
Elisa Muise
Andrea Orr

Officers:
Corrie Conrad – President
Betsy Beaumont – Vice President
Kristen Laubach – Secretary
Krissy Lewandowski – Treasurer

Events Committee:
Jason Boyde – Chairman
Kimberly Beckett
Kaitlynn Cornett
Kristen Lewandowski
Victoria Taggio

**Please email NATCA Charitable at natcacharitable@natca.net for any questions regarding financial information.**

In August 1994, Darrell Meachum, a Fort Worth Center controller, hoped to pool the efforts of many NATCA locals that ran charity fundraisers and bring recognition to the air traffic control profession. His wife Cathy, a dental hygienist with a background running auctions for the American Cancer Society, shared his passion.

Their solution? Form an organization that highlighted the incredible charitable work air traffic controllers were already doing and give them an avenue to expand. They called it the NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF). Originally incorporated in Texas, the organization expanded to Florida in 2001, and to Georgia the next year. The long-term goal was to make it a nationwide entity, but in measured steps to prevent a good idea from “crumbling under its own weight due to poor implementation,” said Darrell, who also served as NATCA’s Southwest Regional Vice President from 2003-09.

That type of far-flung expansion is something some never imagined possible when he envisioned the foundation, but just six years after its creation, the foundation raised more than $17,000 at the 2000 Biennial Convention in Anchorage. As NCF President, Cathy Meachum would go on to mentor Elena Nash, who served as NCF President from 2011-2017, only recently passing the baton this year to new NCF President Corrie Conrad.

NCF quickly became a success and NATCA officially recognized Cathy’s ongoing efforts with an honorary lifetime membership. It was the first time NATCA bestowed the tribute on someone wholly outside the air traffic control profession. Cathy, who’d been an associate member for 7 years, was in shock, saying it is an honor beyond expression.

“They’re amazed at how far we’ve come and how much we’ve accomplished,” Cathy Meachum said. “They didn’t think it was feasible to get a bunch of people to do all this work by volunteers only.”

The absence of paid staff members enables NCF to donate nearly 96 percent of the money it raises. In the 1990s, a core group of about 20 volunteers ran the organization, including satellite offices in Houston, Texas, Jacksonville, Fla., and Peachtree City, Ga. In 2001, the foundation gave $43,000 to more than two-dozen charities and families across the country. NCF income has grown steadily since then — with a total of $153,575 in charitable donations by the end of 2001 to $200,000 of charitable donations in 2016 — focusing on areas that aren’t being met by other charities.

For the Meachums, giving back to their communities was always the driving force behind everything they did.

Shortly before Christmas 2000, Darrell Meachum and a colleague hefted a dilapidated table up a flight of stairs to a two-bedroom apartment in a low-income suburb northeast of Fort Worth, Texas. Cathy and their volunteer helper had driven 40 miles to retrieve the item from the donor’s outdoor porch. Its weather-beaten condition made them shake their heads in dismay. Grime covered the white Formica top and splotches of rust were corroding the metal trim and legs.

It belonged in a dump.

But the trio did their best to wipe off the dirt before setting out to deliver it to a single mother and her three young boys. They were one of several families “adopted” that holiday season by the NATCA Charitable Foundation, a tradition that continues today at many facilities across the country.

While maneuvering the table into the apartment, they noticed that the only furniture outside the bedrooms consisted of a shabby couch and a small television sitting atop a nightstand. They made three more trips to lug in a donated microwave, pots and pans, a laundry basket full of toiletries, and two armloads of holiday gifts — under the ecstatic gazes of the youngsters and their mother.

As soon as the table and four vinyl-padded chairs were positioned in front of a window near the kitchen, the boys jumped onto their newfound seats. Beaming, they set their hands on the table as if holding forks and knives.

“Look, ma, a table,” they exclaimed.

“Can we have a meal at our table?”

The mother was speechless.

Such scenes are one of the most rewarding aspects of the NATCA Charitable Foundation. Cathy Meachum said recipients “inevitably are crying because they’re so happy and we’re just beside ourselves.”

NCF has always put in a lot of effort in choosing which charities to support, hoping to make the biggest impact. A Dallas-area shelter for abused women, which regularly needs undergarments, towels, and art supplies for children, who often use creative outlets to deal with their emotional trauma was an early beneficiary of those efforts. NCF also favors helping children who are disadvantaged, disabled, and terminally ill, along with national charities such as the American Heart Association, Cystic Fibrosis Association, and Habitat for Humanity.

Visiting terminally ill children and disadvantaged people surviving on the edge of poverty can be uncomfortable, Darrell Meachum said. But, he adds, “You know that you’ve done something for the good of the community and that you’ve given something back in the name of your profession and your union.”

Cathy Meachum noted that persuading detail-oriented controllers to donate is sometimes a challenge.

“They want to know the full picture before they commit to anything,” she said. “But once they see it, they jump in full body. They are overwhelmingly generous.”

From its humble beginning, the Meachum’s legacy continues to be felt and honored today, with NCF naming it’s annual Volunteer of the Year Award after Cathy, awarded at Communicating For Safety every year.

NCF is a non profit 501(c)(3) Corporation with supporters and programs across the country. Today, it continues to be a 100 percent volunteer organization with volunteers of all ages and professions. They are proud that their operating expense ratio has remained below five percent since being established in 1998.