Mike Daigle’s annual pilgrimage to deliver donated Teddy Bears to local hospitals has grown to the point that he’s had to enlist family members to join the journey because there’s only so many bears that one man can handle by himself.
Daigle is the affable Executive Director of South Bend International Airport and for the second straight day today he was lugging giant plastic bags filled to capacity with newly purchased plush Teddy Bears designed to help ease the minds of children who have to be hospitalized for whatever reason.
Daigle and his entourage had so many bears to wrangle this year that he had to apologize for running behind schedule due to the sheer volume of bears donated this year that needed to be distributed to hospitals in Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
In fact, more than 1,900 of the new Teddy Bears were collected and/or purchased this year as a result of South Bend International Airport’s 6th Annual Bears in the Air program, a unique effort he brought with him to the local market when he came to SBN from his previous airport assignment.
Daigle and his air crew turned up at Lakeland Health in St. Joseph this morning on his fourth of five stops over the past two days to deliver this grand array of bears to Pediatric Nurses and aides. Yesterday they made stops at Saint Joseph Health System in South Bend, Elkhart General in Elkhart and Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Bend. Following today’s visit to Lakeland Health, Daigle’s team was scheduled to show up this afternoon at Plymouth Medical Center in NW Indiana.
The new Teddy Bears are designed to offer companionship and smiles during a child’s difficult time in a hospital stay. Each hospital will distribute the bears to young patients as they see fit.
Daigle told Lakeland nurses today, “We could not be happier with the results of the Bears in the Air program as we celebrate six years.” He added, “Thanks to our generous community, we have surpassed our goal of 1,750 bears. We are touched and grateful.”
This year’s Bears in the Air collection program began on December 1st 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 and 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.
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.
The airport’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.
They certainly have an impact in the world of pediatric care across the region as well.
