For Immediate Release
June 15, 2024
RockStar Donuts Hosts Fundraiser for High School Pilots Competing in Poland
(Largo, FL): RockStar Donuts in Largo, FL, is hosting a fundraiser this Sunday for an extraordinary team of aviation youth competing in the international championship of glider flying. Five members of the Lakeland Aero Club – a non-profit high school flying club focused on providing hands-on aviation experience – are set to depart for Ostrow, Poland for the 13th Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Junior World Gliding Championship. The competition will be held July 13 through 27. The five-member team consists of the glider pilot, Steven Tellman, and the support crew: Qwest Hipps, Dallas Hurd, Kenneth Turbeville, and Matthew Turbeville.
At the Junior World Gliding Championship, glider pilots vie to win awards and recognition for speed and distance. The competition is held every other year in a different country. This year, 67 glider pilots from 21 countries will showcase their flying skills and jockey for soaring awards. Tellman is one of five pilots representing the United States. He is the youngest glider pilot in the history of American competitors. In order to qualify to compete the World Championship, Tellman was required to earn badges and compete in regional meetings prior to the competition in Poland.
Donut shop patrons will have the unique opportunity to meet Steven Tellmann, one of five glider pilots representing the United States in the World Championship; patrons will also have a chance to learn about Tellman’s DG-400 aircraft that will be on display, and interact with his ground support crew. Tellmann, a 2024 graduate of Polk County Public School’s Central Florida Aerospace Academy, has competed regionally and earned several badges of distinction signifying his flying prowess.
To support Tellman and the team, RockStar Donuts has generously agreed to host the fundraising event and will offer a free glazed donut to anyone who donates to the Lakeland Aero Club. RockStar Donuts is located at 13002 Seminole Blvd, Largo, FL 33776 and will be open 7am to 1pm on Sunday.
For more information, please contact the Lakeland Aero Club President, Mike Zidziunas at 863-777-4668.