From its inception the show has operated with a simple creed; put on a world class show featuring only the best aircraft and pilots and operate the show totally for the benefit of the community. To date, contributions to local charities exceed $1,100,000. The Hasbro Children’s Hospital is our largest benefactor and has received over $900,000 since we began.

There are several key factors to meeting the goals set forth by the Rhode Island National Guard. Cooperation, vision, and commitment are just a few. Our show requires the commitment of the entire community. Vendors, suppliers, supporters, participants and volunteers all come together in the spirit of cooperation that produces an airshow of which we are very proud. In a 96 hour period we transform a fully operating civilian/military airport into a safe airshow venue and return it to it’s original format. This can only be accomplished by sharing a vision of success. The source of energy for all involved is the shared commitment to the children of Hasbro and all the local charities that benefit from the effort.

The business community of Rhode Island has a very active role in the success of our airshow. Remarkably, most sponsors, vendors and financial supporters are founders of the show. They have been with us since the beginning and continue to stand loyal to it’s cause. We strive to offer a win-win situation for all of our financial supporters. We do this by making our show a safe, family event that is free of charge. To illustrate this, companies have made significant donations that include sunscreen, water, ear plugs and various items to our children’s area. We offer this all to families at no charge. Our supporting companies not only meet their marketing and advertising needs but satisfy their
philanthropic goals as well. Pre-event planning and after action
reporting is a very important process in the successful relationships.

Our government and regulatory agencies are also a critical link to
the success of the show. Some of the relationships we’ve built with
local, state and federal officials are now going on 15 years.
Partnerships with Air Traffic Control, FAA, state and local police
officials also began as far back as 1992. “Pride in Ownership” is a
big factor in the success of these relationships. We treat everyone
as team members. In fact, we call ourselves “Team Rhody.” From
pre-event planning to after action reporting, all parties have an active role in accomplishing the same goal.

There is not a better source of pride, energy and focus than what
this all means to the charities and the local community we serve. In 1992, we began this journey with an abundance of hope, a tiny budget and a dream of doing something great for the community.
15 years later, we are Rhode Island’s largest event. We have
donated in excess of $1,100,000 to local charities. These include
Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, Special Olympics and numerous others. Beyond what we do financially, when performers arrive at the Children’s Hospital to meet with patients, the magic in a child’s eyes is priceless. When special needs children are at front-row-center and the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds capture their imagination, the magic in a child’s eye is priceless. When Sean D. Tucker stops his airplane in front of the crowd and runs to the children, the magic in a child’s eye is priceless. When the Air Force
Academy Falcon, on the wrist of a cadet, meets with the children at the hospital, the magic in child’s eye is priceless. Our relationships with all of our charities is so solid because our friendship is year-round. Since 2002, the Rhode Island National Guard has been heavily deployed in the Global War on Terror and we continue to operate at our highest level of operations in our history. We have not and will not miss a show. From everyone involved in the process, we just do it for the children. We draw strength from them and they draw strength from us. We are dedicated to the community we serve.