FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Airlines Sky Ball XII, an event honoring U.S. military members,
veterans and their families, raised more than $1.9 million for the Airpower Foundation. This
year's festivities concluded with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Oct. 25 at American's Hangar 5 at
Dallas/Fort Worth International
Airport.
More than 1,000 American Airlines employees volunteered their
time to make Sky Ball XII a success. Proceeds from the event will
enable the Airpower Foundation to provide much needed support to
nonprofit organizations and military families throughout
the United States.
"The Airpower Foundation is extremely grateful to American
Airlines for its support of Sky Ball XII," said Roman Palomares, chairman of the Airpower
Foundation. "Over the past four years, the American Airlines Sky
Ball has raised more than $5.1
million to benefit many deserving military charitable
organizations. As the title sponsor of Sky
Ball, American and its more than 1,000 employee volunteers
have truly made the difference in our ability to support our
nation's service members and their families."
Sky Ball XII included a special tribute to those who have served
in Korea, as well as a branch-of-service salute to the United
States Navy. The event was attended by more than 2,300 people,
including 17 Medal of Honor recipients, wounded warriors, military
officials and other distinguished guests, including actors
Gary Sinise and John Ratzenberger.
Highlights of the evening included performances by Christopher Cross, "America's Tenor"
Steve Amerson and Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band, a four-course dinner prepared by Chef
Robert Irvine, military and American
Airlines aircraft on static display, and the donation of an
exoskeleton walking device to the Dallas VA Medical Center.
The Saturday night gala was the culmination of a series of
events over three days that included a veteran-focused career expo
and professional-development seminar, educational outreach
programs, a Salute to Citizen Heroes concert featuring The Randy
Rogers Band and Lee Greenwood, and
the world premiere of the PBS documentary "Navy SEALs – Their
Untold Story."
Sky Ball XII set a fundraising record of $1.9 million. Proceeds from this year's event
will allow the Airpower Foundation to assist organizations such as
Snowball Express, an annual gathering of nearly 2,000 children and
spouses of fallen military members, and Carrick Brain Centers,
which treats service members impacted by post-traumatic stress and
significant brain injuries.
American Airlines has a long history of supporting U.S. service
members, veterans and their families. Military and veterans
programs are a strong priority for American and its employees,
reflecting the airline's commitment to honor the bravery and
dedication of those who serve our country. More than 60 percent of
American's pilots and 10 percent of all the airline's employees are
active service members or veterans. American supports members of
the military, veterans and their families through contributions to
nonprofit organizations and employee engagement in a wide variety
of events and activities. For more information, please visit
aa.com/military.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group
(NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US
Airways. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional
carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the
airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339
destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort
Worth, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines
AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to
earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays
and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles
for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class.
In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation
packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. 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. Connect with American on Twitter
@AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US
Airways on Twitter @USAirways.
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SOURCE American Airlines