She has two children and five grandchildren - Riley, Cadence, Grady, Delaney and Jonathan - all of whom are the lights of her life. For fun, she writes fiction, sews, quilts, walks and does pro bono writing for two excellent causes. The first is the American Diabetes Association's Gift of Hope program (www.diabetes.org) which raises money for diabetes research. The program started in Minnesota and is now nationally recognized for raising millions of dollars toward finding a cure for diabetes. Robyn has written the holiday catalog gift item copy for the past two years and also writes sales copy for the website.
The other cause Robyn supports with her writing is the Red Tail Project (www.redtail.org). The Red Tail Project (RTP) is based in the Twin Cities (MN) area as part of the Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). (The CAF is a national organization that supports the rebuilding and maintenance of World War II aircraft.)
The RTP is committed to telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, African-American men who overcame harsh racial discrimination to become an elite group of fighter pilots in the European theater during World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen flew P51 Mustangs with distinctive red tails and they never lost a bomber under their escort. The story of their perseverence in the face of adversity on the ground and in the air is one that needs to be told to all generations. They are an inspiration to everyone who hears their story.
The RTP's vehicle for telling this story is a P51-C Mustang like the ones the Tuskegee Airmen flew to protect the bombers. Sadly, the Mustang that is supported by the Red Tail Project crashed on Memorial Day weekend in 2003 due to a catastrophic engine failure; the pilot was killed. The Red Tail Project is now in the process of raising money to rebuild the aircraft so it can continue to be a piece of "living history", telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. As Robyn is the daughter of a WWII bomber pilot and the mother of a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, she enjoys writing about the RTP and the airplane.
Thought for the week:
"One person caring about another represents life's greatest value."
