Not-for-profits may get air show presence

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Updated: March 18, 2012 8:16AM

HAMMOND — Area not-for-profit organizations always have their eyes on the prize — donations to help their causes. Soon they may have reason to turn their eyes to the sky.

The Legacy Foundation is working with the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority to make a place for not-for-profits at one of the region’s largest attractions — the 2012 Gary Air Show.

Harry J. Vande Velde III, president and CEO of the Legacy Foundation, spoke Thursday to the authority’s board of directors and announced that he and authority President and CEO Speros Batistatos were planning to work out details later in the day.

Over the last 20 years, the Legacy Foundation has awarded nearly $30 million in grants and scholarships to local organizations.

Vande Velde said the idea sprang from a 30-second conversation with Batistatos in which he asked whether the authority could provide a space for a not-for-profit to gain face time with those attending the event.

“Don’t chisel this in stone, but I’m calling it ‘Flip-flops for Philanthropy,” Vande Velde said. “We’re looking for the opportunity to make sure all the nonprofits in the region celebrate a great night and hopefully put a little revenue in their pockets.”