South Bend Airport to host ‘Bears in the Air’ fundraiser
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South Bend International Airport will hold a kick-off party for the 13th edition of its annual “Bears in the Air” charity program on Friday, but the airport is using Giving Tuesday to get an early start.
Launched in 2011, the charity drive has donated almost 20,000 bears to kids who cannot be home for the holidays and raised over $96,000 for the Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran’s Center in South Bend.
Community leaders including St. Joseph County Airport Authority Board President David Sage and South Bend Mayor James Mueller will gather on Tuesday to place the first stuffed animals in the “Bear Den” located in the airport’s atrium.
Proceeds from ticket sales for Friday’s event will benefit the veteran’s center and provide teddy bears to children in five of the region’s hospitals: Beacon Children’s Hospital; Elkhart General Hospital; Saint Joseph Health System in Mishawaka and Plymouth; and Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital in Michigan.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone into the airport for an evening of fun and giving back,” airport CEO Mike Daigle said in a news release.
The Bear drive will continue till Dec. 15, and monetary donations can be made online.
