Annual Bears in the Air program kicks off at South Bend airport

Greg Swiercz, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read

SOUTH BEND — Mike Daigle speaks fondly of the idea he, the executive director of the South Bend International Airport, and his wife came up with that provides teddy bears for sick and traumatized people in area hospitals.

In its 11th year, the Bears in the Air fundraising drive kicks off Friday to raise money for purchasing the bears and for monetary support for the Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran’s Center in South Bend.

Frederick Pryor, a resident at the Robert L. Miller Sr. Veterans Center, places a bear in the bear den at the Bears in the Air news conference Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, at the South Bend International Airport. Looking on is, from left, David Sage, vice president of the St. Joseph County Airport Authority Board; Rafael Morton, president of the St. Joseph County Council; and South Bend Mayor James Mueller.

Daigle said he and his wife searched for a way to give back to the community. In 1997, the bear drive was born at the airport where he worked in LaCrosse, Wis.

The bear effort was replicated in Montana and in South Bend where Daigle worked over the years of his career. In the 10 years in South Bend, some 15,000 bears have been purchased and given to five area hospitals in southwestern Michigan and in Marshall and St. Joseph counties in Indiana.

Also, about $76,600 has been raised for the Millet vets center.

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The main fundraising event is the Bears in the Air kickoff party from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Skywest hangar at the South Bend International Airport. A $30 entry fee goes to the cause, with a cash bar, hors d'oeuvres and door prizes for those who attend. People 21 years old and up are invited to attend.

For people who wish to donate, contributions can be made at givegrove.com/bearsintheair2022.

Daigle said that although the bears are usually handed out to children in area hospitals going through challenges during the holiday season, a quantity of the bears left over after the holidays often are used as for trauma patients, emergency room visits and anywhere where there is an effort to calm someone who is going through a rough medical issue.

The airport director recalled a letter a nurse wrote about a family who was about to have a baby. The woman had quit her job for the pregnancy and the father had lost his job as the family fell on hard times while the baby's due date approached.

"They went to the hospital in a taxi because they had no gas, and they even could not pay for the fare," Daigle said.

When the baby girl was born, the doctor brought in the baby and a large teddy bear. Daigle said the letter stated that the new mother said that someone had cared enough to give them a teddy bear when they had nothing new for the baby.

"It's touching to see the parents' faces when the child gets something that they're not expecting," he said.

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The fund drive for the Bears in the Air program runs through Dec. 16 to allow time for the bears to be purchased and delivered to area hospitals for the holidays.

The Bears in the Air program has garnered attention. In 2015, the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Association of Aviation Executives awarded the program its Community Service Award of Excellence.

Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bears in the Air program lifts off at South Bend International Airport