DreamShip Hot Air Balloon, Designed by Children of America’s Military Heroes, Takes Inaugural Flight
September 29 2016 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
DreamShip to Travel United States in Support of
Folds of Honor, Thanks to Support from The Rite Aid Foundation and
Sponsors
Follow DreamShip on its Journey at
TheDreamShip.org
With Lady Liberty and One World Trade Center as a symbolic
backdrop of the freedoms America’s military proudly defend, today,
DreamShip, a fully operational hot air balloon will take its
inaugural flight before embarking on a year-long journey to raise
awareness of Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization based in
Owasso, Oklahoma, dedicated to providing educational scholarships
to children of fallen or disabled service members. With a design as
unique as its mission, the DreamShip, will showcase artwork created
by Folds of Honor scholarship recipients symbolizing their hopes
and dreams for the future.
The DreamShip will be officially unveiled during a ceremony
today at 10 a.m. at Liberty Landing Marina inside Liberty State
Park, located in Jersey City, New Jersey. New Jersey Lieutenant
Governor and proud military mother Kim Guadagno will join Rite Aid
CEO of stores, President of Rite Aid Corporation and President of
The Rite Aid Foundation Ken Martindale and Folds of Honor Founder
Major Dan Rooney at the celebration, as well as several Folds of
Honor scholarship recipients, whose dreams are featured on the
DreamShip, and area Rite Aid associates.
“Today is a very special day for Folds of Honor, but it’s only
the beginning,” said Martindale. “From here on out, with every
launch, the DreamShip will lift up the dreams of children helped by
Folds of Honor, both physically and metaphorically, and The Rite
Aid Foundation could not envision a better way to show our support
of Folds of Honor, our veterans and their children.”
Standing eight stories tall, the DreamShip is comprised of more
than 400 fabric panels, 130 of which uniquely feature drawings of
the dreams of children helped by Folds of Honor. With an internal
volume of 105,000 cubic feet, it would take approximately 405,000
standard sized basketballs to completely fill the fully inflated
balloon. Fully operational, the DreamShip will be operated by a
licensed balloon pilot and is able to fly just like any other hot
air balloon.
“I am honored to be here today with families of service members
who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Lt. Governor
Guadagno. “Through Folds of Honor, Major Rooney has made a
commitment to support the children and families of the fallen and
disabled heroes long past their darkest hours. Without the
involvement of The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program, the
DreamShip would not be able to serve as an important visual
reminder, one which people often forget, that sacrifices are also
made by the families when their loved ones go to war.”
The launch event will also include special exhibits including a
virtual reality hot air balloon ride and a virtual reality art
station, where kids can use Tilt Brush technology to draw their
dreams. Event goers will also be able to watch videos showcasing
children helped by Folds of Honor, purchase Folds of Honor
merchandise and learn how they can support the organization.
“We cannot think of a better way to showcase the stories and
dreams of our scholarship recipients than to lift them up with the
DreamShip for the world to see,” said Rooney. “Folds of Honor is so
fortunate to partner with The Rite Aid Foundation in our mission to
educate the legacy of our fallen and disabled service members. We
look forward to following the DreamShip on its journey across the
country and sharing the stories of our deserving scholarship
recipients.”
Follow the DreamShip
With support from official DreamShip sponsors including The Rite
Aid Foundation’s KidCents program, Johnson & Johnson Consumer
Inc., maker of Tylenol®, Nestlé Waters, maker of Nestlé Pure Life,
and Unilever, maker of SUAVE®, the DreamShip will travel the
country, serving as a constant symbol of the commitment made by
Folds of Honor, its partners and donors, to honor the nation’s
fallen and disabled service members and their families.
Immediately after today’s launch, the DreamShip will begin its
year-long tour of the United States. To learn more about the
DreamShip, including upcoming appearances and the children being
helped by DreamShip, visit www.theDreamShip.org.
Support Folds of Honor
In addition to supporting Folds of Honor as the DreamShip
travels the country, people can also support Folds of Honor by
texting #dreamship to 364-13 (FOH-13) or visiting
www.theDreamShip.org. Additionally, people can join Rite Aid’s free
loyalty program, wellness+ with Plenti, and sign up to
participate in The Rite Aid Foundation’s round-up program,
KidCents. Through KidCents, members of wellness+ with Plenti
can round up their in-store or online purchases to the nearest
dollar and give their change to Folds of Honor. For more
information, visit www.kidcents.com.
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading
drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the
District of Columbia and fiscal 2016 annual revenues of $30.7
billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background
and press releases, is available through the company's website at
www.riteaid.com.
Folds of Honor is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that
provides educational scholarships to families of military men and
women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the
United States armed forces. Our educational scholarships support
private education tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12,
as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and
dependents. Founded in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter
pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard who served three tours of
duty in Iraq, Folds of Honor is proud to have awarded more than
10,000 scholarships in all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands, including more than 2,500 in 2015 alone.
For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor
scholarship, visit www.foldsofhonor.org.
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Rite AidAshley Flower, 717-612-0136orFolds of HonorKelsey
Costales, 562-552-2597
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