By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On September 19, United Way Golden Horseshoe (UWGH) will host its annual Plane Pull at Hamilton International Airport, kicking off the organization’s fall campaign.
This marks the first time the event will be organized by the UWGH, after April’s merger combined United Way Halton and Hamilton, the event’s previous host, with three other local United Way branches.
Kristen Jacob, vice president of marketing and communications, said that the event has been expanded due to the larger community it now encompasses.
“Consistently, every year we make this event bigger and are able to bring out more community members,” she said. “So I’d say it’s bigger and better this year.”
Jacob said there will be more food trucks and activities for kids.
“We have a giant area with inflatable activities and an indoor kids’ section that has colouring contests, henna, and mascots,” Jacob said. “There’s a bunny petting zoo that we have coming there, just lots of activities and different games set up for kids, both structured and organized. We also have a quiet space for kids as well who may have some auditory challenges.”
During the event, 90 teams of 17 people each will compete to pull a 200,000-pound cargo jet. Two teams at a time will attempt to pull the plane on opposite sides of the tarmac, competing to see who can complete the pull fastest.
A kids’ team will also attempt to pull a smaller plane in between the scheduled morning and afternoon teams.
Jacob said that the Plane Pull is UWGH’s “biggest signature event.”
“It really is critical for us,” Jacob said. “It helps us kick off our annual fall campaign as well. We will actually be revealing our goal for this coming year, and it is a very large goal. But that’s going to reflect the scale of the need that we’re seeing in the community.”
Funds raised from the Plane Pull will go towards 235 programs supported by UWGH.
“[These are] programs that are helping with things like food and housing insecurity, mental health support, children’s programs, and senior isolation programs,” Jacob said.
She also said that money raised during the event will “stay local.”
“If there’s a team that’s participating from Niagara Falls or from Brantford, the funds that are raised in that community with those postal codes will stay with those postal codes for those programs in that community,” Jacob said.
The event is sponsored by UPS, which also helps UWGH close down the tarmac and secure the aircraft.
Jacob said over 2000 community members are expected to attend the event on Saturday.
