The Southern Heritage Air Foundation has, once again, been named one of the best non-profits in the United States by Great Nonprofits, a national organization that reviews and ranks non-profit groups and organizations.
SHAF President Patty Mekus said the honor, which her organization has now garnered five straight years, is a sign the foundation’s goal of bringing awareness to the legacy of aviation and WWII veterans is on the right track.
“It is a big deal,” Mekus said. “A lot of it is based on customer feedback. Some people just go and check out our 990 (tax form). You can do that through Great Nonprofits and Guidestar and see how we are using our funds.”
Mekus said that number alone can give an accurate idea of just how active non-profits like SHAF really are.
“I think this past year, for 2019, I think like seven percent of the money that was raised was used for administrative, and 93 percent was used for programs,” she said. “Nobody is paid through our foundation.”
And that fact alone, according to Mekus, is an indicator of just how important the foundation’s goals are to those in the Tallulah and Vicksburg communities, and beyond.
“They are passionate,” Mekus said of the foundation’s volunteers. “We have about 55 active volunteers. And, this year, we probably had about 35, because of COVID. When it’s an airshow year, we can have as many as 100. Some people just volunteer for specific events.”
Southern Heritage Air Foundation has been a non-profit organization since 2013.
