Snowball Express and American Airlines Bring Holiday Cheer to Gold Star Families
December 08 2017 - 7:00AM
On Saturday, Dec. 9, nearly 1,000 American Airlines team member
volunteers will bring more than 1,600 children and spouses of
fallen service men and women to Dallas-Fort Worth for five days of
fun and fellowship at the 12th annual Snowball Express
celebration.
Upon arrival at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW),
families will be welcomed by American team member volunteers.
During their visit, families will experience a Walk of Gratitude on
Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Fort Worth Stockyards to honor their
sacrifice. Later in the week, they’ll enjoy a “knight” of jousting
fun at Medieval Times, a private concert by Academy Award-nominated
actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band and much more.
“The holiday season is an extremely difficult time of year for
the survivors of our fallen military heroes,” said Francis “Buck”
Kern, executive director of Snowball Express. “We are honored to
work with American Airlines to bring together these families.
Connecting them to each other helps them heal, understand they
aren’t alone and helps the children understand that it is OK to
laugh and smile again. This life-changing gift that American
Airlines provides for our Snowball Express families is truly
remarkable.”
As the official airline of Snowball Express, American Airlines
is transporting families traveling from 87 cities worldwide via
nearly 100 chartered and commercial flights. American’s 11 charter
flights will be coming to DFW from every corner of the country,
some stopping at up to three locations to pick up additional
participants along the way:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chicago, Illinois
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- El Paso, Texas
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Killeen/Fort Hood, Texas
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Los Angeles, California
- Nashville, Tennessee
- New York City (JFK)
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Orlando, Florida
- Pensacola, Florida
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Sacramento, California
- San Antonio, Texas
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Savannah, Georgia
- Seattle, Washington
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Washington, D.C. (DCA)
“This event is a favorite among the American team and I am proud
to work with so many generous colleagues, not only those who have
donated their time to fly and serve the families in the air, but
those who have spent countless hours coordinating gate-side
sendoffs in scores of airports around our system and arranging a
first class arrival into DFW tomorrow morning for the 12th
consecutive year,” said David Seymour, senior vice president –
Integrated Operations at American and graduate of the United States
Military Academy at West Point. “Snowball Express is an impressive
event that continues to grow every year and it is our deep
privilege to partner with them to honoring our Gold Star
families.”
American Airlines team members volunteer their time in a variety
of ways, including hosting special send-off celebrations at each of
the departure airports, staffing the flights, assisting with
activities, “decking the gates” with holiday decorations and
providing refreshments and entertainment — all to make sure the
Snowball Express families have an unforgettable experience each
year.
“I’ve served as the Team Airlift coordinator for five years
working with our pilots, flight attendants, gate agents and
countless others to serve our Gold Star families,” said Jeff
Graham, Airlift Coordinator and DFW-based First Officer at
American. “Serving each of them is a privilege that we take on with
love, compassion and pride.”
Snowball Express is a nonprofit organization established in 2006
with the mission of bringing hope and new memories to the children
of military heroes who have died while on active duty since Sept.
11, 2001.
To learn more about Snowball Express, visit SnowballExpress.org.
Additional information can also be found at
aa.com/letgoodtakeflight. Follow this year’s festivities on social
media with the hashtag #SnowballExpress2017.
About American Airlines Group American Airlines
and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day
to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has
hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a
founding member of the oneworld alliance,
whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations
with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. Shares of American
Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol
AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index.
Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at
Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
About Snowball ExpressOver the past decade,
true American Heroes, the men and women of the United States
Military and their families, have made and continue to make
extraordinary sacrifices to protect our freedom. Since 2006,
Snowball Express, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has hosted an
annual gathering that brings children of fallen military heroes
together from around the nation and the world. The mission of
Snowball Express is to honor America’s fallen military service
members who have made the ultimate sacrifice since September 11,
2001 by humbly serving the families they left behind. Champion
their children’s future success by creating opportunities for joy,
friendship, education, and communal healing, by connecting these
families to one another. More than ninety percent of total
contributions go directly to support its programs. To learn more
about Snowball Express and to get involved please visit
SnowballExpress.org or on social media at:
Facebook.com/SnowballExpressUSA, and follow us on Twitter
@SnowballExpress.
Corporate Communications817-967-1577mediarelations@aa.com
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