Joy To The Child, Incorporated is a New Jersey non-profit public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The corporation was founded in August 2006 and was granted section 501(c)(3) status by the US Internal Revenue Service in July 2009. Joy To The Child established the Aircraft Build Program under the alternate name of Teen Aviation of New Jersey (TANJ) in the fall of 2021.

The Teen Aviation of New Jersey Aircraft Build Program is registered as a youth educational build program with Van’s Aircraft. We currently have 13 students enrolled in the program building a Van’s Aircraft RV-12iS experimental light sport aircraft in our hangar at Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey. To date, 27 students in total have been or are currently enrolled in the program. The program is funded entirely by charitable donations, and participation in the program is at no cost to the students or their families. All program staff and mentors are volunteers, with all donations to the program going directly to student activities and administrative expenses.

The purpose of the TANJ Aircraft Build Program is to encourage high school students ages 13 through 18 to gain greater knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and aviation-related career fields. The goal of the program is to introduce the students to career possibilities in a variety of STEM and aviation-related fields they may not be aware of, or that may seem beyond their reach. The program is centered around the students building an actual, flying two-seat light sport aircraft under the supervision and mentoring of our program mentors, with the basic philosophy being mentors teach, students build. The program is designed to help our students meet the following objectives: technical skill reading drawings and manuals, teamwork, hands-on building experience, confidence in themselves and their abilities, pride in their workmanship, and leadership as they progress in the program and help new students develop their skills. Beyond that, our students come from a variety of backgrounds, and a key aspect of our program is to provide a comfortable and positive environment where they can work together and learn from us as well as from each other.

The Aircraft Build Program is designed to be an ongoing activity, with the construction of each aircraft taking two or more years to complete. After an aircraft is completed, it will be used to provide incentive flights to our students until it must eventually be sold to help provide funds for the subsequent aircraft build. Doing so will replenish our funds and allow the program to continue year after year.

From the initial founding of Joy To The Child up until the establishment of Teen Aviation of New Jersey, funding for the corporation was provided exclusively by the corporation founders and Board of Directors. Since establishing the TANJ Aircraft Build Program, the corporation’s charitable activities have expanded considerably. As a result, in the fall of 2021, Joy To The Child began seeking additional funding through various sources including public donations, fundraising events, and sponsorships.

You can learn more about our program by visiting our website: www.TeenAviationNJ.com. Thank you for your interest in supporting Joy To The Child Incorporated and the Teen Aviation of New Jersey Aircraft Build Program.