WASHINGTON — As part of its ongoing commitment to enrich the academic experience of underserved students, in mid-August Coca-Cola Consolidated will donate 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.’s (ECCTAI) Youth in Aviation Program.

The backpacks will be distributed during the 2024 Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.’s (TAI) National Convention and Annual Business Meeting scheduled Aug. 14-17 in Crystal City, Virginia, to students from area high schools, including two named after Tuskegee Airmen: Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland.

"Coca-Cola Consolidated’s donation of backpacks and school supplies will ensure our students are well-prepared for the new school year,” said Jerome Hodge, president of ECCTAI. “This support is invaluable in helping us inspire and equip the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals."

The TAI convention’s Youth Day on Aug. 17 caters to high school students with a strong interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Planned activities include meetings with original Tuskegee Airmen, small-group STEM challenges and an opportunity to link up with the International Space Station, where local teens will communicate with Astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps.

In addition to the donation of school supplies, Coca-Cola Consolidated donated more than 200 beverages to ECCTAI and pledged its commitment to supporting the chapter’s Youth in Aviation Program.

“The Mid-Atlantic Market Unit and the Capitol Heights branch is proud to have a strong relationship with the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.,” said Aaron Bell, Coca-Cola Consolidated General Manager of Sales Operations for the Mid-Atlantic Market Unit. “Some 1,000 Black pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield and had great success escorting bombers during World War II.  We have been able to partner with our local chapter and airmen who live in Prince George’s County on various events. We are thankful for their military service and their partnership in the communities where we live and serve.”

The Tuskegee Airmen organization has more than 55 chapters across the country and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about ECCTAI, visit https://ecctai.org/.

About the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

Founded in 1973, the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (ECCTAI) is the oldest and largest chapter of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. ECCTAI has about 125 members from diverse backgrounds, which include Tuskegee Airmen heritage-kindred descendants, active-duty and retired military, civil servants and private citizens from all walks of life. At one time, the chapter included more than 50 Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, combat veterans of World War II who received their military training at Tuskegee, Alabama. ECCTAI provides educational assistance scholarships to students and produces a Youth in Aviation Program that preserves the Tuskegee Airmen legacy and supports workforce development initiatives in underserved and underrepresented communities. ECCTAI’s geographical focus area is the District of Columbia and its surrounding jurisdictions. The chapter is incorporated in Washington, D.C and has its 501(C)3 designation. 

About Coca-Cola Consolidated

Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Our Purpose is to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence and to grow profitably. For over 122 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities we serve and are passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers. 

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “COKE.” More information about the Company is available at www.cokeconsolidated.com. Follow Coca-Cola Consolidated on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.