LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EMPLOYEES AND LOCAL VOLUNTEERS COME TOGETHER TO BEAUTIFY AFTER-SCHOOL FACILITY USED BY CHILDREN IN NEED

08/20/2007 12:00 AM

LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EMPLOYEES AND LOCAL VOLUNTEERS COME TOGETHER TO BEAUTIFY AFTER-SCHOOL FACILITY USED BY CHILDREN IN NEED

 

(Ontario, California -- August 17, 2007) Employees at LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT) partnered with United We Paint and local volunteers to re paint and landscape a local community center used by the Hero Club (Homework Enrichment and Recreational Outreach). On August 23, airport employees and volunteers will use gallons of paint and dozens of paint brushes to enhance the facility. Improvements will also be made on the center’s landscaping.

The Hero Club is an after-school program that provides tutoring services, enrichment activities, clothing and shoes, school supplies, referrals to medical and dental care, on-site counseling services, and snacks for school-aged children living within the west end of San Bernardino County. Many of the children are homeless.

Firefighters from ONT's Airport Rescue & Firefighting (ARFF) division adopted the Hero Club children in 2004. The firefighters volunteer their time to host fun events for the children, help build and repair equipment at the Hero Club facility, and put on an annual holiday party. Due to the program’s enormous success, airport-wide employees, tenants, and local community businesses and organizations also participate.

"We are excited to continue our support of the Hero Club students who use the community center for their after-school program," said Maria Tesoro-Fermin, ONT's community and public relations director. "Throughout the year, airport employees support The Hero Club through volunteerism. We felt this was a perfect match for us to continue our tradition of being a good neighbor. Everyday we strive to provide value to the neighborhood and our community, and we look forward to this worthwhile and rewarding event."

"A project of this magnitude requires a unification of community and we felt there was no organization better suited to help than ONT," stated Jeff Zotara, executive director of United We Paint. "We are enthusiastic to have so many helping hands from the community of Ontario. Everyone’s devotion of heart and time to help the children of the Hero Club program is heroic."

United We Paint is a volunteer initiative that revitalizes schools and provides a more inviting educational environments to children in need. United We Paint also provides assistance to low-income seniors and families by revitalizing their homes through painting, landscaping, and building. This effort marks the 456th event across the nation for the United We Paint Coalition. More than 10,500 dedicated volunteers have participated in more than 100 communities providing more than $2,700,000 of services.

ONT is a medium-hub, full-service airport with commercial jet service to major U.S. cities and through service to many international destinations. ONT is located in the Inland Empire, approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. The airport is the centerpiece of one of the fastest-growing transportation regions in the United States. ONT's service area includes a population of six million people living in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and portions of north Orange County and east Los Angeles County.

ONT is one of four airports owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a Los Angeles City department that oversees an airport system in the nation’s second largest metropolitan area. The other airports owned and operated by LAWA are Los Angeles International, LA/Palmdale Regional and Van Nuys General Aviation.

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