This piece originally ran in the September 2020 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
With more than 875 Young Eagles flights under his belt, it’s safe to say that Mark Kolesar, EAA Lifetime 294238, is heavily invested in EAA’s success as an organization, particularly when it comes to getting youth interested in aviation.
“I got involved with the Young Eagles program early on when it was first starting,” Mark said. “I remember growing up, always having an interest in aviation, but never really having somebody that would give me a ride in an airplane. So, when the Young Eagles program started, I got involved at the local level with my chapter, and it continued to grow from there.”
As someone who’s flown Young Eagles for nearly three decades, it’s obvious Mark has a passion for what he’s doing. The reason he keeps volunteering his time and resources is simple.
“I do feel like I’m making a difference,” he said. “In some small way, I can give back to others the enjoyment I’ve received over the years and the great friendships that have developed, which have led me to volunteering and now being the co-chairman of the Blue Barn. It’s just a great aviation community, and I want to introduce them to EAA because EAA has such a family atmosphere. Sometimes aviation has a stigma that it’s an elite group and it’s closed — and it’s not. We’re a very welcoming community, and the EAA spirit really embodies that.”
As a volunteer co-chairman at the Blue Barn for the past three years, Mark works with EAA’s chapters and Young Eagles offices, as well as other Blue Barn volunteers, to make sure everything is ready to go and runs smoothly during the week of AirVenture — yet another way for him to support the Young Eagles program.
“Leading up to AirVenture, I’m working with the volunteers at the office in Oshkosh, getting things set, getting people in their places to get ready to meet our guests when they come,” he explained. “After that, it’s about making sure our members that are volunteering have the resources they need from us, and I work with the chapters and Young Eagles teams to do that. … With the staff being so busy [during AirVenture], I look at myself as an in between to provide a really great experience to people visiting [the Blue Barn], while still enabling the staff to do what they have to do with their multiple responsibilities when AirVenture is going on. I just keep things running as smoothly as possible.”
Volunteers make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — and just about everything else EAA does — possible. This space in EAA Sport Aviation is dedicated to thanking and shining the spotlight on volunteers from the community. Sadly, it cannot capture all of the thousands of volunteers who give so much to the community every year. So, next time you see a volunteer at AirVenture or elsewhere, however they are pitching in to make EAA better, be sure to thank them for it. It’s the least we can do. Do you know a volunteer you’d like to nominate for Volunteer Spotlight? Visit www.EAA.org/submissions.