Suggestions Sought for Downtown Airport Fundraising Run

The Greenville Downtown Airport will host a fundraising run on Saturday, May 18th, 2013.

"The money raised will go towards completing the new community aviation park," stated Joe Frasher, Airport Director of the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU).

"Since we are in the airport business, not running business, we have pulled in a very experienced race planner, Joe Lanahan. Joe currently oversees the very successful TD Bank Reedy River Run and we are ever so grateful that he has volunteered his time to help us," Frasher stated.

"Several airports in the country have this type event and they can be very successful. It's a unique and fun project to take on," stated Joe Lanahan, a Program Manager for the Greenville County Recreation District.

"Many of these events use the same names, like 'Runway Run', '5K on the Runway' and 'Race the Runways'. We may use one of those but thought why not have a name our event contest and see what people come up with!" Lanahan said. "An event logo is also needed for our marketing and will be on the run T-shirts. We hope that some creative people out there will help us out," stated Lanahan.

To enter: Creative event names and original logo contest submissions, along with the submitters contact information, should be emailed to Lara Kaufmann at LaraLKaufmann@gmail.com.

Entries must be received by January 15th, 2013. The winner(s) will receive a free Discovery Flight donated by the Greenville Jet Center plus free entrance into the 2013 race for themselves and a guest. Prizes are not transferable. The winner can't give the privilege away.

If the chosen name is submitted by more than one party, the first one received will be the winner.

"The park is now open as a free-to-use public open green space where people can have fun and watch aviation while children have space to run around,"Frasher said. "People can have blanket picnics, schools can go on class trips, and everyone can get exercise. Next spring, the walking "Runways" and exercise "Perimeter Taxiway" will be painted to look like real ones.

"We are now raising money and seeking donations so we can add two aviation themed playground equipment sets (one for younger children and one for older kids), a picnic pavilion, as well as a "Control Tower" climbing structure," he continued. "We are also raising funds to transport and convert a fuselage into a unique and handicap accessible park entrance. We are looking for a naming rights sponsor and all donations are tax deductible," Frasher added.

"The park project was conceived since over 10,000 kids a year used to visit our commercial airport (GSP) before 9/11. They can no longer do that" stated Frasher.

The park is located next to the Runway Cafe at 21 Airport Road Extension, Greenville, SC 29607. GMU is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina and is a self-sufficient entity with financial strength that doesn't rely on local taxpayers for funding.

GMU is home to Greenville Jet Center, the largest Fixed Base Operator (FBO) in S.C., as well as more than 25 other aviation-related businesses creating 453 jobs that annually contribute more than $35.2 million to the Upstate economy.

For more information about GMU please visit http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com or contact Joe Frasher at 864-242-4777 or joe@greenvilledowntownairport.com