Beyond the blue

Cadet parents support the Wings of Blue parachute team through the Parent and Family Giving program

Second Lt. Jack Allen ’19 fulfilled his high school dream of graduating from the Air Force Academy and competing with the Wings of Blue parachute team. His parents, David and Elizabeth, were able to participate in their son’s Academy journey in a unique way through the USAFA Endowment’s Parent and Family Giving program.

“When we decided to make a multi-year financial commitment to the Academy through the Parent and Family Giving program, we felt it was important to split the gift between unrestricted giving and the Wings of Blue,” Elizabeth Allen said. “Given the magnitude and scope of what Jack and his fellow WOBs were learning in the jump program, we wanted to help ensure that the leadership of the airfield had the resources they needed.”

Jack Allen is grateful for his Wings of Blue experience. “The Wings of Blue gave me an opportunity to truly lead at an incredibly young age,” he said. “As an instructor, I was thrown into an environment where I truly had other people’s lives in my hands. As I enter pilot training, I feel incredibly prepared to take on the challenge because of my time on the Wings of Blue. It was the privilege of a lifetime.”

Parent and Family Giving helps engage cadet families in a broad variety of Academy programs that have an impact on cadet training, including unique experiences like the Wings of Blue jump team.

“We had a rewarding experience with the Parent and Family Giving program,” Elizabeth Allen said. “The program provides families an avenue for involvement in the academy experience of their cadet, which otherwise doesn’t exist due to the structure of these four undergraduate years.”