Naperville, Illinois-based PR/marketing entrepreneur, author, pilot, and motivational speaker Jacqueline S. Ruiz is celebrating her 40th birthday in a way that will spread smiles across America's Midwest region.
NAPERVILLE, Ill., April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Naperville-based PR/marketing entrepreneur, author, pilot, and motivational speaker Jacqueline S. Ruiz is celebrating her 40th birthday in a way that will spread smiles across America's Midwest region.
With the nickname of "Pilotina" (pilot + Latina), Ruiz is one of the few small-engine Latina airplane pilots in the United States and recently turned 40 on April 11. To celebrate, she is embarking on an inspirational flight—1,100 miles in total—from April 18 to April 21 to Kansas, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
"The numbers surrounding this event have specific meanings," she explained. "In my research, the four refers to support and stability; 40 signifies important time periods, and 400 means new beginnings, fresh starts, and new chapters in life."
She will make pit stops along the way to distribute 400 teddy bears to 400 students and share words of inspiration at local schools, airports, and aviation museums.
On April 18, Ruiz will be landing at Colonel James Jabara Airport to visit with members of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization at Wichita State University. On April 19, she heads to Dayton Wright Brothers Airport to meet with students from The Goddard School in Springboro, Ohio and a local Hispanic community organization. On April 20, she travels to Indianapolis Regional Airport to meet with members of the Latino Coalition in Indianapolis. On April 21, her final destination takes her to Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook, Illinois where she will see the JW Aviation School located at the airport.
Alexander Jimenez, founder of the Schaumburg-based Smiles Against Cancer, an initiative dedicated to making happiness a priority in the lives of children with cancer, will participate in the last stop of this trip.
"I'm honored to join Jackie as she inspires youngsters to make their dreams into reality," Jimenez said. "Jackie has been supporting our initiative for years with donations to kids with cancer and this is a great opportunity to continue our partnership."
Ruiz will present her keynote topic called "Creating Your Flight Plan," which explains the importance of preparing for take-off, considering the weather while you're in the air, and foreseeing the landing. Her speech ties together the ideas of aviation with goals and dreams of listeners.
Appearing with her will be Amelia, a teddy bear with a special story. Amelia, whose moniker comes from Ruiz's admiration of the late pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart, has been her constant companion when soaring the skies.
"She is the bravest teddy bear anyone will ever meet," Ruiz said. "When I was in flight school in the mid-2010s, I would take her up with me, and she was my co-pilot. I was inspired to create 100 branded teddy bears to give to people so that they had a co-pilot in their lives. People really loved them."
Since that first 100, Ruiz has given out over 1,650 teddy bears to people in four continents during her keynotes and book signings. The #Pilotina Teddy bear is also featured in the first-of-its-kind, Latinas In Aviation permanent exhibit at the Aviation Fields of First Museum in College Park, Maryland.
Ruiz is looking forward to sharing 400 new teddy bears this month to put her total at over 2,050 teddy bears given out.
"Students can see a world of possibilities, especially if they are supported by loving relatives and positive mentors," Ruiz said. "My focus on this flight is to inspire students so they can plan a course for their dreams and encourage others to do the same."
Disclaimer: The times and locations of the teddy bear drop-offs are subject to change without notice based on weather conditions.
About Jacqueline S. Ruiz:
Jacqueline Ruiz is a visionary social entrepreneur that has created an enterprise of inspiration. With more of 20 years of experience in the marketing and Public Relations industry, she has created two successful award-winning companies, established two nonprofit organizations, published 32 books, the largest collection of Latina stories in a book anthology series in the world, and held events in four continents. She has received over 30 awards for her contributions and business acumen. She represents the 1.6% of women entrepreneurs with over seven figures in the United States. Jacqueline is one of the few Latina sports airplane pilots in the United States and recently collaborated with College Park Aviation Museum to create the historic first-ever exhibit in the world to honor Latinas in Aviation. For more information, visit https://jackiecamacho.com/. ###
Media Contact
Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing, 630-400-3361, [email protected]
SOURCE Jacqueline Ruiz
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