Snowball Express and American Airlines Bring Texas-Sized Holiday Cheer to Children of Fallen Military Heroes
December 11 2016 - 10:37AM
Today, nearly 1,000 American Airlines employee volunteers will
bring more than 1,700 children and spouses of fallen service men
and women to Dallas/Fort Worth for five days of fun and fellowship
at the 11th annual Snowball Express celebration.
Upon arrival at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW),
families will be greeted by employee volunteers with a Texas-sized
celebration and welcome. During their visit to the Lone Star State,
they’ll experience a Walk of Gratitude honoring their sacrifice, a
“knight” of jousting fun at Medieval Times, a private concert by
Academy Award-nominated actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, and
so much more.
“I am privileged to work with so many generous individuals at
American Airlines, 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 Sunday morning for the 11th consecutive year,” said David
Seymour, senior vice president – Integrated Operations at American
and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West
Point.
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 Airlines
employees volunteer their time in a variety of ways, including
hosting special sendoff celebrations at each of the departure
airports, staffing the flights and 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.
“My heart can’t help but want to do everything I possibly can to
make these kids’ holidays just a little happier and something they
can look forward to,” said Donna Gates, an American Airlines
station support representative in Syracuse, New York, and a
three-time Snowball Express volunteer.
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.
“We are thankful today and every day for our military heroes who
made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Francis ‘Buck’ Kern, executive
director of Snowball Express. “Because of their sacrifice we have
the freedom to celebrate this holiday in the greatest nation on
earth. We are honored to serve the children and families of these
heroes, and we are humbled by their tremendous sacrifice and
service to this nation! Snowball Express is eternally grateful to
American Airlines for making this good work possible.”
To learn more about Snowball Express, visit SnowballExpress.org.
Additional information can also be found at aa.com/giving. Follow
this year’s festivities on social media with the hashtags
#SBE2016.
About American Airlines GroupAmerican 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 serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily
flights to over 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 Communications
817-967-1577
mediarelations@aa.com
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