Areas Team MIA Runs for Breast Cancer Prevention
Trekking along the 3.1-mile route from the Areas team were 15 runners/walkers and two from MIA that included: Carlos Bernal (CEO), the other Carlos Bernal from Finance, Filinto Galban, Sandra Bolivar, Gioconda Morales, Miriam Garcia, Noelvis Capiro, Miriam Torres, George Garcia, Amel Gonzalez, Priscilla Marrero, John Llanera, Guillermo del Calvo, Yasmely Gomez, Manley Martinez and two from MIA: Jorge Brito and Rosa Richardson.
Funds from the charity event entitled, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, go to education, prevention, early detection, and patient programs. This enables people to get help and support for their current battle against cancer, a future diagnosis, or the avoidance of a diagnosis altogether.
The event was hosted at the 25,000 sq. ft. American Airlines Maintenance hangar right on the edge of the runway.
Areas Team ATL Runs for Youth Education
The Areas Team was among 2,000 runners/walkers on Saturday, October 8 who joined Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens on his annual 5K on Hartsfield-Jackson International’s Runway 5. The event raised funds for the Youth Scholarship Program and United Way of Greater Atlanta.
Pauline Armbrust, Areas VP of Marketing, Communications; Jameel Shakir, General Manager for ATL; Matthew Cunningham, Assistant General Manager for ATL; and Felicia Powell, Admin Manager for ATL, completed the 6:00 am race well before the time commercial flights would resume their normal flight schedule.
Congratulations to Jameel for achieving a qualifying running time for the AJC Peachtree 10K Road Race that followed a week later. “It’s a nice race to run since it is the world’s largest 10K and a challenging course. I like to run to keep active and stay in shape,” says Jameel.
Areas Team LAX Runs for Homeboy Industries
Areas’ LAX operations team participated in the Homeboy 5K Run/Walk in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 24. The event was sponsored by Homeboy Industries, an organization that provides training and support to formerly gang-involved and recently incarcerated men and women. Graduates of the program are able to redirect their lives to become contributing members of the community. Founded by Father Gregory Boyle more than 25 years ago, Homeboy has grown into the largest, most comprehensive – and most successful – gang rehabilitation and social enterprise organization in the world.
The Homeboy 5K event attracted well over 7,000 participants, including a team of 18 representing Areas. Ayaz Sidikki, regional director of operations for the Western Region and several Areas operations managers were joined by spouses, significant others, and even some children.
Members of the team met Father Boyle in person who joined the walkers. “Because of the work he has done in the community, and as the author of the best-selling book ‘Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion,’ Father Boyle is something of a local celebrity. It was an honor for the team to meet him in person,” said Ayaz.
Areas has been a proud supporting partner of Homeboy since 2011 when the Homeboy Industries was introduced to Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 4 as part of a new food and beverage concessions program. “Bringing organizations such as Homeboy into the airport concessions program raises awareness. In the case of Homeboy, this partnership also helps raise much-needed funds to continue their many rehabilitation programs,” explains Ayaz. “We are committed to doing what we can to support the efforts of Homeboy because it benefits so many and improves the City of Los Angeles in multiple ways.”