For the fifth consecutive year, generous travelers and community members have delivered an outstanding return on the Bears in the Air Program at South Bend International Airport and the resulting impact will be delivered to the Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran’s Center tomorrow morning.
St. Joseph County Airport Authority Board President David Sage will present a $7,000 check to Kent Laudeman, Director of the Robert L. Miller Sr., Veteran’s Center, to assist local veterans as a result of the Fifth Annual Bears in the Air campaign at the airport. The check will be presented in ceremonies tomorrow morning, Wednesday, February 8th at 10am. The monetary donation is above and beyond the 1,527 newly purchased teddy bears that were delivered to children in area hospitals in December, including a delivery to Lakeland Health in St. Joseph.
Mike Daigle, Executive Director of South Bend International (SBN) tells us, “Over the past five years, we have raised a total of $29,000 to assist the veterans at the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veteran’s Center.” He adds, “We thank our corporate and individual program supporters. It is because of their generosity to the Bears in the Air program that it has grown year-over-year allowing us to give back to those that have fought for our freedom. It’s our turn to give these individuals a chance to overcome circumstances and reintegrate into society through the help of the Veteran’s Center.”
The fifth annual Bears in the Air collection program began on December 2, 2016 when travelers and the general public were invited to donate a newly purchased teddy bear or make a cash donation. The program provides both the donation of teddy bears to children at Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Bend, Saint Joseph Regional Health System in Mishawaka, Elkhart General Hospital in Elkhart and Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph, along with a cash donation to the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veteran’s Center. A “Bear Den” inside the terminal served as a collection point for the bears.
Due to the support of the community, the program has enjoyed continued growth as an annual event at SBN.
South Bend International Airport’s three air carriers provide nonstop flights to ten cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New York City/Newark, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, and Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg with connections world-wide. South Bend International’s multi-modal terminal serves over one million air, rail and bus passengers each year. According to the 2012 Economic Impact Report from the Aviation Authority of Indiana, South Bend International’s total annual economic impact on South Bend and surrounding communities was in excess of $1.7 billion.
For additional information, you can click this link: www.FlySBN.com or get social with SBN on Facebook at this link: www.facebook.com/FlySBN.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com shows the main concourse in the newest terminal at South Bend International Airport, and the South Bend Chocolate Company’s Bar Fly branding there.
