For Immediate Release
September 27, 2018

Contact:
Charles H. Pannunzio
Los Angeles World Airports
424-646-5260
cpannunzio@lawa.org

Charissa Gonzales
Bob Hope USO
562-999-7734
charissa@bobhopeuso.org

Cutting the ribbon to officially open the new Bob Hope USO on Wednesday morning are, from left, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Phil Garrant, LAWA CEO Deborah Flint, Bob Hope USO President Bob Kurkjian, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Linda Hope, Los Angeles Council Member Monica Rodriguez and Bob Hope USO Board of Directors member Wayne Kauffman.

BOB HOPE USO MOVES INTO NEW HOME AT LAX’S HISTORIC THEME BUILDING

(Los Angeles, CA) Bob Hope USO celebrated its move into the historic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday with a grand opening event that featured remarks from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who served his country as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve and was instrumental in the project to relocate the USO Center, and leadership from Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the Bob Hope USO and military officials. The ceremony and a ribbon cutting were attended by nearly 500 supporters and community leaders.

 

“Los Angeles will always open its arms to the women and men who serve our country — and that begins right here at the Bob Hope USO,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “The iconic Theme Building’s proudest chapter will be as a world-class facility for members of the military and their families traveling to — and through — our City of Angels. We are grateful beyond words to all those who wear our nation’s uniform.” 
 

Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during Wednesday's grand opening ceremony at the Bob Hope USO.

 

“This is a memorable day for all of us at LAWA and for those who have put their time, their passion, their love and their energy into creating this incredible facility for our military and their families," said Deborah Flint, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “LAX is proud to have the Bob Hope USO in our iconic Theme Building and we are grateful to all those who are serving or have served our country.”

Part of the new center pays homage to Bob Hope and his decades long support of the USO and the troops with a curated display area honoring the famed comedian and entertainer.  Linda Hope, Bob Hope's daughter, was in attendance to carry on her father’s legacy in supporting our service members. The Dolores and Bob Hope Foundation made a $2 million contribution to fund the capital project and programs supporting current members of the military and their families.

 

LAWA CEO Deborah Flint speaks about Bob Hope USO's move into the Theme Building.

“Our donors, supporters and volunteers make it possible to say thank you 685 times a day across 51,000 square miles in Southern and Central California, to our troops and their families at USO centers and on military installations.  We transform your generosity into tangible and intangible support for our service members and their brave families, and we are thrilled to launch an incredible state-of-the-art USO Center at LAX,” said Bob Kurkjian, president of Bob Hope USO.  

The new center doubles the size of the previous USO facility. At 7,100 square feet, it features numerous amenities for visiting troops and their families including a canteen snack bar; dining room; large nap room; family zone with play area and three private family rooms with dedicated restroom; three family video connection rooms; TV lounge and movie theater; gaming lounge; selfie wall; charging stations; secure luggage storage; and an outdoor pavilion.  

 
All services, food and beverages are provided free of charge to current members of the military and their dependent family members thanks to thousands of generous donors, large and small, and a team of over 250 USO volunteers who operate the facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  

Since beginning operations at LAX in 1974, the USO has served over a million troops and families. It is anticipated to serve 2.7 million in the next 20 years.
   

  Bob Hope USO President Bob Kurkjian thanks donors and volunteers at Wednesday's grand opening.

The new center was made possible through the commitment of Bob Hope USO’s supporters including The Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation, Los Angeles World Airports, Delta Air Lines, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, The Ahmanson Foundation, American Legion Post 283, Marilyn Cohen and Chris Malburg, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Madeline and Marvin Gussman Family Foundation, The Hollywood Post American Legion 43, The Fred and Peggy Hartley Family Foundation, California Veterans Charity corporations that have pledged to sponsor and support Bob Hope USO. 

Bob Hope USO provides direct service to over 250,000 service members, their families and eligible military retirees in Southern and Central California annually. 

To donate, sign up for a volunteer position, or send supplies needed to stock the new USO from the wishlist, please visit  bobhopeuso.org.  

Nearly 500 USO supporters and community members attended Wednesday morning's program at the historic LAX Theme Building.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX, the fifth busiest airport in the world and second in the United States, was named in Skytrax’ 2018 top 10 U.S. airports. LAX served more than 84.56 million passengers in 2017 and offers 737 daily nonstop flights to 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 cities in 44 countries on 73 commercial air carriers.  LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion.  LAX handled 700,362 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2017.

An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues.  The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is also the second most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

For more information about LAX, please visit www.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities.  Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

About Bob Hope USO
Bob Hope USO provides USO services and programming to members of the military and their families across 50,000 square miles of Southern and Central California. Bob Hope USO is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating under a charter from USO, Inc., providing morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. Military. Although Congressionally chartered, Bob Hope USO is not a government agency and relies entirely on contributions from patriotic Americans and philanthropic corporations and organizations. 

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