South Bend International Airport is very fortunate to have a man like Mike Daigle at the helm. When Daigle earned his first job as an airport executive at his previous post before South Bend, he was in search of a concept to help give back to the community. He tells me, “My wife and I were sitting on the patio one night having a cup of coffee and trying to figure out how we could give back to the community, and we hit upon trying to help children who were having a tough time over the holiday season and beyond in the hospital, and landed on the idea of Teddy Bears, and tying it to the airport, we named it ‘Bears in the Air.'”
This morning Daigle and his colleagues made their annual delivery to Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph of dozens, if not hundreds, of bears to be distributed to those needing comfort during times of trauma in the hospital.
Daigle says, “This is the 8th year that we have done Bears in the Air and this year we have received 2,136 bears which are being delivered to five local area hospitals to help the nursing staff and professional medical team members to do the great job they do.” He adds, “It’s also a way to give back to our community, and a way to make where we live a better place, one person at a time, whether that’s a child, an elderly person, or anyone, and that’s what this is all about.”
A flight of nurses from the Spectrum Health Lakeland team turned out at mid-morning today to accept the special delivery of new bears. Kathy Effa, Manager of Emergency Services, for Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joe spoke on behalf of her colleagues, saying, “We are very blessed to have South Bend International Airport give us bears to hand out to our patients. In the E.R. we see all walks of life of patients and you might not be too surprised about how soothing a bear can be for all ages, not just children, but even geriatric patients, who find it comforting, something that’s in their hands that’s soft, warm and cuddly, in the aftermath of a traumatic event. They are very beneficial and very much appreciated. Thank you very much.”
Daigle says, “This program started in 1997 at the first airport where I was the director. We just wanted a way to give back to the community, and it just gets bigger every year. We’ve been doing it for so long, and it’s a joy every year to be able to do this.”
With more than 9,000 Teddy Bears donated in the first seven years of South Bend International Airport’s annual campaign, this year’s efforts have helped them to surpass 11,000 now and soaring.
