Thousands attend Aviation Fun Day and fill local food bank shelves!

Waterloo Region, ON – The Region of Waterloo International Airport and organizers of Aviation Fun Day would like to thank the volunteers that donated their time, aircraft and expertise to make the fourth annual event the most successful one yet!

“Aviation Fun Day is a great opportunity to learn about the industry. This year 5,100 people came out to explore the airport and meet some of the 300 people that work behind-the-scenes every day,” said Chris Wood, General Manager of the Region of Waterloo International Airport. “This event is meant to inspire the next generation of aviation enthusiasts and give back to the community at the same time. Special thanks to all the organizers, vendors and attendees that braved the weather!”

In lieu of an admission fee, donations were accepted by The Cambridge Self Help Food Bank and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

By the numbers:

• 5,100 people attended – up 13 per cent from last year!
• 3,619 pounds of food collected – up 47 per cent from last year!
• $5,007 dollars raised – up 10 per cent from last year!
  (Including proceeds from the WestJet “Gift of Flight” raffle and Labusch Skywear t-shirt station.)
• To date, Aviation Fun Day has collected 9,608 pounds of food and raised $14,793 for local food banks. All to help the one in 20 households in Waterloo Region that needs food assistance!

“Aviation Fun Day is a great example of the community coming together for a fun event while supporting an important cause that helps those in need of food assistance,” said Wendi Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. “All food and funds raised will help both the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region provide meals, shelters and other vital services to more than 100 agency and community programs. Thank you to everyone involved for working hard to ensure this event was a huge success”

Airport employees and tenants including the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association Flight 26, Flite Line Services, Great Lakes Helicopter, Royal Canadian Air Cadet Youth Development Centre, Waterloo Warbirds and the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre worked together to organize Aviation Fun Day.

“We are so grateful to the many generous donors, the amazing volunteers, and to everyone at the Region of Waterloo International Airport for their support and partnership during Aviation Fun day”, said Cameron Dearlove, Executive Director of the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. “Hunger is an everyday reality for too many in our community, and these types of partnerships are essential to lessening the burden on many families. The food and money collected will help to fill the shelves and cupboards of our food bank and the many food programs supported by both Food Banks. We are thankful to our generous community.”

Aviation Fun Day is a free event that allows people to explore the airport on foot and learn about the aviation industry. For the second year in a row, Aviation Fun Day ranked as the Region’s number one event for customer satisfaction – earning a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 9.8 out of 10. NPS is calculated at the event, based on attendee survey responses collected onsite by tourism officials. The event took place on Saturday, August 25 at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. 

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For more information contact:

Sandra McAuley, Marketing and Communications Supervisor                     
Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF)                                                         
Telephone: 519-648-2256 ext. 8504 (1-866-648-2256 ext. 8504)                  
E-mail: smcauley@regionofwaterloo.ca 

Connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/FlyYKF                  
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/FlyYKF

The Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) is a full-service facility which supports commercial, corporate and general aviation. The airport is home to 25 businesses that employ 300+ people that together contribute over $90 million annually to Waterloo Region’s economy. WestJet Airlines provides non-stop daily service to Calgary year-round. FlyGTA Airlines provides non-stop weekday service to Toronto Island year-round. Sunwing Airlines provides seasonal weekly service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. YKF is owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). For more information visit www.waterlooairport.ca, call 519-648-2256/toll free 1-866-648-2256 or contact your travel agent.