WILBUR MAY FOUNDATION NEWS RELEASE – It’s a bird, it’s a plane. It’s a butterfly and a hummingbird. The Great Reno Balloon Race, the largest free hot-air ballooning event in the world, returns to the skies above Reno, September 6 – 8, at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, and is bringing a new addition. Sponsored by the Wilbur May Foundation, an organization that has been supporting the event since 1991, “Hummingbird” will make her U.S. inaugural flight debut. Hummingbird is joined by “Betty Jean the Butterfly,” returning for her second flight at The Great Reno Balloon Race. Both balloons are owned by Bob Romaneschi.
Rides are tethered on behalf of the Children’s Cabinet and designed for at-risk youth to experience team building and a hot-air balloon flight. The Wilbur May Foundation has supported the Children’s Cabinet through The Great Reno Balloon Race tethered ride program since 1994.
“What the Wilbur May Foundation provides to the event is a lifelong memory,” Pete Copeland, executive director of The Great Reno Balloon Race said. “The kids’ faces light up when they see the magnitude of these balloons and then have the opportunity for a ride of a lifetime. The ability for us to provide that experience to the Children’s Cabinet is all thanks to the Wilbur May Foundation. We can’t thank them enough.”
The Children’s Cabinet exists to keep children safe and families together by offering services and resources that address unmet needs through a unique and effective cooperative effort between the private sector and public agencies in Northern Nevada. In 2011, The Children’s Cabinet helped more than 11,000 families. The Children’s Cabinet believes in promoting and encouraging an environment within families, schools and neighborhoods that values the unique characteristics of each individual.
Additional tethered rides will be available from the REMAX balloon as well as Annie the Ladybug, sponsored by Macy’s.
For information about The Great Reno Balloon Race including reserved VIP parking passes, volunteering and sponsorship contact 775-826-1181 or visit online www.renoballoon.com.
The Great Reno Balloon Race is the world’s largest FREE hot-air ballooning event. The event has floated into the hearts and minds of Reno’s visitors and locals for 32 years. With nearly 100 balloons and 150,000 in attendance each year, the event is a permanent fixture on Reno’s September skyline. The Great Reno Balloon Race is a non-profit organization with free admission due to sponsorship support.
