The Heroes Project by the North Coast Chapter is going to another level in keeping alive the history and legacy of DOTAs hailing from northeast Ohio. Since 2025, Cleveland-area youth have infused extra creativity and enthusiasm with chapter members in hosting activities to raise community awareness about local and national TAI missions and initiatives. What started as a colorful and interactive wall mural inspiring countless travelers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has expanded to include 70 striking portraits of the men and women hand painted by talented visual arts students attending Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA). The North Coast Chapter in its programming engages local youth in all grade levels, sharing the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and exposing them to educational opportunities connecting them to aviation, aerospace and STEM careers. Since the project’s implementation in 2025, the chapter has picked up support in multiple partnerships that expand the scope and reach of the chapter’s goals to permanently and publicly recognize the men and women who sacrificed their lives during WWII.

For example, members of the Warrensville High School JROTC led by Associate Member Sgt. Gregory Anderson are producing two-year calendars displaying the CSA portraits, bringing the Heroes Project to history buffs and aviation enthusiasts across the county. The calendar will be presented to the public for sale tentatively in September. Elsewhere in Cleveland, three senior members of the AROTC program at East Technical High School led by LTC Oran Williams are on a mission to work with the city of Cleveland to rename a local street in honor of Tuskegee Airmen who grew up in the city. The group wants to finish the project in two years.

The chapter enjoys its long-standing partnership with Argonaut-Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School, engaging with students working hard in pilot training and fixing airplanes, and operating drones and boating equipment. The P-51 Red Tails book club immerses English Language Arts students in biographies and memoirs written about the airmen. Graduating seniors take their first solo flights, and North Coast Chapter rewards them with chapter memberships and scholarships to help them afford college expenses. Currently, three Davis students are collaborating with Associate Member Tony May on creating designs for Tuskegee Airmen-inspired art on airplane noses that will bring more honor to the heroes. North Coast Chapter is excited to sponsor another Young Eagles Day on May 16 to kick off a fun summer season for area youth ages 8-17 who are treated to free airplane rides with host EAA Chapter 846 and learn the basics of pilot training and logging flight hours. Last year’s Young Eagles Day brought more than 20 children and their families to Burke Lakefront Airport, where they connected with Air Force recruiters and EAA pilots.