South Bend International Airport on Tuesday will receive the first teddy bears to be donated to its annual Bears in the Air campaign. For the past eight years, the airport has collected and given out bears to kids in hospitals around South Bend and southwest Michigan as part of the program. On Tuesday, there will be a reception at the airport’s atrium at 10 a.m. as community stakeholders donate the first batch of bears. On hand will be St. Joseph County Airport Authority Board President Jay Asdell along with representatives of the Center for the Homeless and the South Bend Cubs. Also, there will be South Bend’s largest and most lovable bear, Stu D. Baker. South Bend International Airport says over the past eight years, Bears in the Air has donated more than 9,000 teddy bears to children in area hospitals and $46,000 to the Veteran’s Center in downtown South Bend. While the first donations will be made Tuesday, the official kickoff for the campaign will be on Friday.
