Pictured, left to right, are company owner Justin Silvia, Breast Services Manager Brittany Hennessee and Mammography Technologist Emily Pemberton
The Chattanooga Skydiving Company announces they have raised $5,080 through their October #JumpsForLumps campaign to directly benefit the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center at CHI Memorial here in Chattanooga. Twenty dollars of every jump during the month of October was donated to the Mary Ellen Locher Breast Center for the #JumpsForLumps campaign for the $5,080 total.
The check was presented to Breast Services Manager Brittany Hennessee and Mammography Technologist Emily Pemberton last Tuesday at the Marion County Airport.
Company owner Justin Silvia also jumped with the giant check from an airplane to commemorate the donation.
According to BreastCancer.org, one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer with one in 38 dying from the disease. In 2020 alone, over 275,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Ms. Hennessee said donations like these enhance the care they can provide to their patients. “We are so thankful for the generous donation from Chattanooga Skydiving Company. We appreciate local businesses such as this that are willing to give back to our community,” Ms. Hennessee said.
Mr. Silvia said the campaign was a lot of fun and felt good too. He looks forward to making this an annual fundraiser. “We’re in the business of making people smile. And now it’s all for a good cause: to raise awareness for breast cancer. I’m grateful for the work the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center does, and this donation can make a local impact,” Mr. Silvia said.
In commemoration of her own victory over breast cancer, local survivor Julie Bomar made a sky dive with Mr. Silvia and team on Oct. 31.
Chattanooga Skydiving Company was founded in 2012 by Mr. Silvia and is located at Marion County Airport, 300 Airport Road in Jasper. They operate two aircraft and are the only high-altitude,18,000 feet skydiving company in the southeast, according to officials.