USNA Parachute Team – fund raising letter from Bill Boniface
Posted: 11/9/2017
November 2017
Class of 1972 classmates –
Some of you heard me make an initial pitch for the USNA Parachute Team at the class Business Meeting at our 45th Reunion. Back in our days on the Yard, parachuting – both military and sport – was a pretty common thing. Jumping at the Diary Farm was supplemented with sport jumping out at the Pelicanland Drop Zone in Ridgely. We watched the blue and gold round “Paracommander” canopies descend during June week 1972 when a few of our classmates jumped onto Farragut Field.
With outstanding volunteer help from a few highly talented sport parachuting instructors and competition champions, today’s team has reached levels of skill and experience in the sport far beyond those we were ever able to accomplish back in the day. However, unlike the Air Force Academy and West Point, who have half-century old, well-established parachute teams with strong institutional financial support, permanent staff and strong material support, Navy’s team remains an ECA that is almost entirely dependent on the participating midshipmen’s personal funds.
What the team currently lacks is funding to purchase common, Navy-themed team parachute systems they can jump in competitions and demonstration jumps to represent the Brigade. Doing exhibition jumps into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (as Air Force and West Point cadets do at every home football game in their stadiums) is a primary goal of the midshipmen and one of the first requirements is to have distinctive Navy gear that can be passed down each year rather than have personal rigs that leave with each graduate.
Five parachute systems that can be kept, well-maintained, and passed down each year by the team for use over the next decade are the team’s initial goal. Each complete system (main parachute canopy, reserve parachute canopy, parachute container and automatic opening device) runs about $9,500, for a total need of about $47,500.
One incentive to contributing (and one that West Point’s team has used successfully) is that each parachute rig sponsored by a class for the full amount will have its class name permanently embroidered on the right side of the parachute containers as a frequent reminder of the class’ generous support for the midshipmen who jump them!
I’d love to see “Class of 1972” rigs being worn by the midshipmen team members for the next decade and would be deeply grateful if you would consider taking part in the effort to make that a reality.
Although this is not part of our class 50th reunion project goal, I’m nonetheless asking classmates to additionally consider a contribution to this effort. Any gifts to the team will be tax-deductible, and can be accomplished in any one of the following three ways:
(1) Go online at www.usna.com to the USNA Foundation; select “Make a Gift” and then go to the free-text block marked “Other.” Put in your contribution amount and annotate the right-hand block “USNA Parachute Team ECA.” Make sure the class year “1972” is in the class block and enter your credit card information.
(or)
(2) Send a check made out to the “USNA Foundation” with “USNA Parachute Team” in the Memo line, accompanied by a short note saying you are donating this money specifically for the Parachute Team and that you’re from the Class of 1972.
While your gift would not count against our class project goals, they would count as part of your USNA Foundation annual giving level (Tecumseh Club, Herndon Club, President’s Circle, etc.).
Address your note and check to: USNA Foundation
291 Wood Road, Beach Hall
Annapolis, MD 21402-1254
ATTN: Class Giving Coordinator
The USNA Foundation will send out tax receipts and thank you letters for any contributions done online or by check. They charge a 5% administrative fee, but they are very good at this (it’s their full-time job!) and are very prompt with acknowledgements and receipts.
(or)
(3) Finally, you can instead make a contribution directly to the Midshipman Welfare Fund through the USNA Comptroller. You can write a check to “United States Naval Academy” with “MWF/Parachute Team” in the Memo line with a brief note specifying that your contribution is to go specifically to the USNA Parachute Team.
100% of the contribution will go to the team (no administrative charges) but recognize that this is not their primary business and you might not receive acknowledgement as quickly as you would through the USNA Foundation. Alumni should note that contributions made this way would not be applied toward your USNA Foundation annual giving levels.
These contributions should be sent to: Comptroller Gift Fund Division
181 Wainwright Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
If you choose this method, please shoot me an e-mail (boniface72@gmail.com) so I can assure it gets counted as a “Class of 1972” contribution.
Through your generosity, I’m confident we’ll be able to support the midshipmen of the USNA Parachute Team in a very meaningful way and see one or more “Class of 1972” parachute systems coming down over Navy in the spring.
Thank you all!
Tried and True –
Bill Boniface ‘72
* This solicitation for the USNA Parachute Team to alumni and supporters is a private effort not connected in any official way with the U.S. Naval Academy. *
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