BY BRANDY TEMPLETON
National Balloon Rally Charities continued an annual Giving Tuesday tradition by donating $75,000 to the local nonprofits, agencies and groups that contribute their time and effort to making Carolina BalloonFest a success each year.
The organizations help with parking, traffic control, cleanup, and more during the three-day event, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the Statesville Regional Airport each October.
While the weather did not cooperate this year, the volunteers did their best to make the event run smoothly, Executive Director Don Edwards said.
“It felt like we made lemonade with lemons,” he shared. “We did the best we could with what we had.”
Board member Pressly Mattox also expressed his appreciation to the volunteers and the importance of the Carolina BalloonFest.
“Ticket and gate sales goes back into the community to people who need a hand up,” he said.
Organizations Receiving Contributions
♦ BSA Troops 1314, 174, 363, 377 and 607
♦ Civil Air Patrol Iredell Squadron
♦ Crosby Scholars
♦ Forward Family
♦ Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont
♦ Guardian of the Children Mooresville
♦ iCars
♦ Statesville Rotary
♦ Mitchell Community College Endowment
♦ North Iredell High School Sports and Teams
♦ Rainbow Kidz
♦ Statesville Kiwanis
♦ United Way of Iredell County
♦ Veterans of the Piedmont
♦ Yokefellow Ministries
♦ Foundation of Hope Ministries
♦ Balloon Federation
Sponsors
Mattox thanked title sponsor Flow Automotive, the City of Statesville, The Statesville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Home Paramount Pest Control, Publix, Mitchell Community College, Panera Bread, WAME, Comfort Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Southern Distilling Co., Tilley Harley Davidson, and others.