From Flight Simulators to Real Skies: How BUFMI Is Helping Detroit Youth Take Off

At the Black United Fund of Michigan (BUFMI), the sky is not the limit—it’s just the beginning. For 55 years, BUFMI has uplifted Detroit communities, and today their youth aviation program is giving local kids the literal lift they need to dream bigger.

"When that plane lands, they're never the same again," said BUFMI President and CEO Kenneth Donaldson. He’s referring to the ACE program, where middle and high school students not only study aviation but also get to co-pilot a two-seater plane over Metro Detroit. The program is what Donaldson calls "positive trauma" – an experience so powerful that it fundamentally reshapes a young person’s view of what is possible.

Donaldson's path to leadership at BUFMI wasn’t traditional. With a background in engineering, he originally signed on for what he thought would be a summer job. That summer turned into a calling. “When you help a young person find their path, that feeling is unmatched,” he said. One participant told him, "Mr. Donaldson, I learned how to fly a plane before I learned how to drive a car."

BUFMI's aviation program has even drawn the attention of the Detroit Lions. When the team heard about the ACE program, they didn’t just want to visit—they wanted to participate. "They came to learn alongside the students," Donaldson said. "Even pro athletes can benefit from discovering a new purpose."

The program's success is just one wing of BUFMI’s broader mission of youth empowerment, and it continues to inspire both those in the cockpit and on the ground. For Detroit youth, it proves one thing: when you give kids wings, they soar.