By Linh Spies, Senior Director, Human Resources
2025 marked a very busy year for the Aireon Cares community outreach initiative. From park clean-up to school supply drives to charity fundraisers, the Aireon team spent hundreds of hours this year giving back to our local community.
Aireon Cares is a company-wide initiative designed to empower team members to give back and make a meaningful impact on the community. The initiative helps the company connect and engage with local communities, and it cultivates a sense of belonging and reinforces our culture of teamwork and engagement at Aireon.
“The Aireon Cares program reflects the values that are important to Aireon as a company and its employees, reinforcing our commitment to making a difference not only as professionals but as people. We look forward to continuing to support and partner with many organizations in the years to come,” said Don Thoma, Aireon CEO.
Here are the highlights of the work from this year:
Earth Day Volunteer Day at Bon Air Park
In April 2025, Aireon hosted our first annual Aireon Cares Volunteer Day. The Volunteer Day aligned with Earth Day and the company participated in a local park clean-up effort. Local team members joined forces at Bon Air Park in Arlington, Va., where they planted 36 trees and shrubs and 1,097 herbaceous plants and removed various invasive plant species to help restore the park’s natural habitat.
S.O.M.E Donation Drive
In June, Aireon participated in a donation drive for S.O.M.E (So Others Might Eat). Since 1970, S.O.M.E has been working to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through a variety of programs addressing housing, emergency and social services, healthcare, education, and workforce development and advocacy. Summer is their greatest time of need, and Aireon provided a total of 505 donations of food, toiletries, and household items.
Second Story Back-to-School Backpack Drive
In partnership with Second Story, a local nonprofit organization that supports children and families in crisis, Aireon organized a Back-to-School drive in July. Aireon filled 100 backpacks with essential school supplies to help support students for the upcoming school year.
Dulles Day Plane Pull
In September, Aireon participated in the annual Dulles Plane Pull, a high energy event where teams compete to be the fastest to pull an 82-ton aircraft across a 12 ft distance. This year’s event raised a record-breaking $600,000 for Special Olympics Virginia, supporting athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities across the state. The Aireon team raised $3,495 for the cause and earned second place at pulling the Boeing 737 plane in just 7.42 seconds.
PathForward Winter Coat Drive
Throughout October and November, Aireon Cares hosts a Winter Coat Drive to benefit PathForward, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness. Aireon will be collecting coats, jackets, scarves, hats and gloves for all ages to help keep individuals warm during the colder months.
Operation Help a Hero, Operation Christmas Spirit Gift Drive
During the holiday season, Aireon Cares will organize a gift drive in support of Operation Help a Hero, called Operation Christmas Spirit. Operation Help a Hero is an organization dedicated to the well-being and care of American military members. Their programs support military units and their families as they prepare for separation, endure the challenges of deployment, and as they transition back to the United States. This year, Aireon will “adopt” a military family and fulfill their holiday wish list – continuing the tradition from previous years in supporting families stationed at Quantico.
Stay tuned for upcoming Aireon Cares events and to see how we’ll continue making an impact in our communities in 2026!
