Summer Fest at BETA: A Rodeo, a Fundraiser, and a Whole Lot of Heart

Written By Beth White

This summer, BETA Technologies hosted its first-ever Summer Fest Rodeo, and Habitat for Aviation was honored to be part of the celebration! With the help of our friends at BETA, we turned an unforgettable evening into a joyful fundraising event to support our growing aviation programming.

Beth, Zoe, and Scott arrived ready to wrangle donations—literally. Thanks to Scott’s creative genius and craftsmanship, he and Beth built two custom betting boards for the rodeo, inviting attendees to place $1 bets on their favorite barrel racers. Each dollar went to supporting the young people and apprentices in our programs. The community rallied behind the riders, with Ruby Clark—racing for the first time—quickly becoming the hometown favorite. She gave an incredible performance, and her courage and grace in the arena captured everyone's hearts.

As the sun set, the evening shifted from high-spirited races to heartfelt music. In the warm glow of the barn lights, Scott’s son, Christopher Boldt, originally from Dublin, Ireland, and the talented Charlotte Clark delivered a stunning performance of original songs and crowd-favorite covers. Their music brought the community together in a perfect close to an already memorable night.

Summer Fest was more than just a fundraiser—it was a celebration of community, creativity, and connection. We are so grateful to BETA Technologies for inviting us to be part of this magical evening, and to everyone who cheered, bet, sang, danced, and gave. Together, we are building more than planes—we're building opportunity, one joyful moment at a time.

Beth White

Education Possibilitarian, Artist, Writer, Doula, Mentor, Aviatrix, Breast Cancer Survivor, Pilot-in-Command at Habitat for Aviation


In the spring of 2022, Beth White emerged from a 10-month battle with breast cancer with an idea: to create an apprenticeship program at Franklin County State Airport where youth work alongside adult mentors servicing conventional and electric aircraft. A pilot and airplane mechanic apprentice herself, and with family roots in the trades, Habitat for Aviation provides an taxilane for world learning opportunities for youth and adults who love to work with their hands to enter the FAA’s apprenticeship certification track. Each day she puts systems in place that make real John Dewey’s philosophy that we “learn best what we live” – a deep throughline from her time at Antioch University New England and as Regional Director for Big Picture Learning. Each learning experience is grounded in relationships, relevance, and practice. In October, 2023, Habitat for Aviation launched its Women Build Planes program, where an all-female team of Modern Day Rosies is building an airplane at Franklin County Airport, in northwestern Vermont, to show folks everywhere that despite the fact that only 2.6% of airplane mechanics are female, women BUILD, FLY, and FIX airplanes.

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