Wings for Dreams Event Raises Record-Setting $4.5 Million for Wichita Children’s Home

Kim Stevens Aviation Education

Textron Aviation and its donor partners set another fundraising record at its Wings for Dreams event earlier this month. The company-sponsored event raised more than $4.5 million to provide support for the Wichita Children’s Home and its CrossRoads program. The CrossRoads program is a low-barrier shelter and drop-in center for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth who are 24 or younger.

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The Wings for Dreams event combined exclusive auction items and a world-class musical performance from Textron Aviation ambassador, Dierks Bentley. Thanks to the generosity of event sponsors and attendees, CrossRoads is able to provide a safe and nurturing environment for young people who have experienced abuse, neglect, exploitation or homelessness. 

This record-setting evening would not have been possible without our employees, partners, customers and community members who contributed their time, resources and passion to support Kansas youth. This was the seventh Wings for Dreams event, which has raised more than $18.5 million since its inception in 2015 for youth-focused organizations in Kansas.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.