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Pilot's legacy lives on during Gunfighter Skies
For more than 10 years, pilot Greg Poe dedicated his life to helping children turn their lives around and to help them reach their goals and dreams. It was the one way he coped with the pain he endured after son died from years of drug abuse.
Out of his loss, the stunt pilot from Boise created Elevate Your Life -- a youth outreach program that Poe took with him to almost every airshow. He used school presentations, essay contests and rides in his aircraft to leave a positive message and confidence in the students he met.
But when Poe died of a heart attack July 24, it cast doubts on whether his goal to help others would end. Instead, it's taking on a life of its own.
As Mountain Home Air Force opened its doors to the public during the Gunfighter Skies airshow this weekend, Dax Wanless carried on Poe's legacy. The pilot from Caldwell represents a new generation of aerobatic pilots committed to spreading Poe's message to youngsters across the United States.
"He would be very proud of all of us and making it so we could continue his legacy," Wanless said during a short break at this weekend's open house.
"Greg Poe created a wonderful gift from his tragedy, and it is this legacy that Elevate Your Life will now preserve," added Greg Gibson, a spokesman with the Ryan J. Poe Foundation, which oversees the Elevate Your Life outreach program.
Ryan's death in 2002 remained a poignant remainder of how people can ruin their lives if they don't reach for their dreams and goals and fall into the negative lifestyles, Wanless said.
"It was so emotional losing his son, but Greg knew he had to do something," he added. "If he could save even one child, he knew it was well worth it."
The Ryan J. Poe Foundation and Elevate Your Life effort helps youngsters create their own dreams and goals, showing these children that they can achieve anything if they remain on the positive path, he added.
Wanless knows first hand how people can reach their goals if they remain on the positive path. Growing up, he had a passion for body building with a growing desire to become a pilot. Staying true to his dreams, he went on to compete in a national body building tournament before he started working for Poe in 2006.
In recent months, the Elevate Your Life organization reached out to more than 10,000 middle school-aged children and provided rides to approximately 250 youngsters.
Among these students was Kathryn Tenbarge, an eighth grader from Dayton, Ohio, who earned a flight with Poe after she won an essay contest in conjunction with the Dayton-Vectren Airshow. Dreaming of one day becoming a dancer, Tenbarge made an immediate connection to her goals during what she considered an aerial ballet in the sky.
"This is the most incredible day of my life," Tenbarge said. "It made me see that my dreams are just as real and achievable as anyone's, and I only have myself to blame if I don't go for it."
Poe's message helped others like T.J. Williams from Wilmington, N.C., deal with the loss of his father and grandfather.
"(It) helped me realize that I can do anything and nothing can stop me,
Williams said.