Since it began in 1997, the Adopt-A-Pilot program has reached more than 65,000 students in communities from coast-to-coast. Southwest Airlines originally developed the Adopt-A-Pilot program in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, America's Promise, the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum, and others in response to the need for community involvement in schools. National leaders such as Secretary of State Colin Powell, former President Bill Clinton, and First Lady Laura Bush have recognized the community relations program.