Northern Air to Host Huge Black ‘N Blue Ball to Combat Muscular Dystrophy
/Northern Air, West Michigan’s largest aviation company, will trade in the company logo shirts and luxurious executive jets for leather vests and chrome-laden choppers when it hosts the 2010 Black ‘N Blue Ball, one of Western Michigan’s most significant fundraisers for families fighting muscular dystrophy, on Friday, May 14.
The gala’s slogan says it all: “Dress for coach, have first-class fun.”
Northern Air will convert its hefty 29,000-square-foot hangar into a biker’s haven for the evening, where revelers will don temporary tattoos to raise funds for Western Michigan’s Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The annual Black ‘N Blue Ball helps MDA fight more than 40 different neuromuscular diseases that affect people of all ages in the Grand Rapids area and beyond.
The Phillips 66® Aviation-branded fuel dealer at Gerald R. Ford International Airport was eager to help transform its hangar into a gala venue, said Jeff Anderson, President and CEO for Northern Air and Northern Jet Management.
“Black ‘N Blue sponsorships and donations go a long way toward helping children and families suffering from neuromuscular disease live better lives,” Anderson said. “The funds from the gala support vital research for treatments and cures, summer camps for kids with neuromuscular diseases, support groups and the MDA clinic at Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids.”
Anderson stopped short of committing to getting a real tattoo in honor of the Black ‘N Blue Ball. “My Northern Air team is convinced I need to get inked, but what they’re really hoping for is that we buy a custom chopper for the FBO,” he said.
During the ball, the fixed base operator (FBO) will be hosting sponsors from some of American’s largest consumer brands. It’s a clientele Northern’s customer service and management teams know well. The FBO is part of a trio of aviation units that work extensively with large corporate travelers. Northern Air’s units include The Company Jet, which manages fractionals, and Northern Jet Management, which runs a fleet of 13 executive jets, while specializing in turnkey aircraft and flight department management
The MDA West Michigan 2010 Black ‘N Blue Ball takes place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 14, in Northern Air’s North Hanger, at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.
For tickets or to donate, please call MDA at 616-459-4410, or visit https://secure.mdausa.org/blackandblueball/grandrapids/.
For more information on Northern Jet, call 800-462-7709, or visit www.northernjet.net.