As NBAA’s 2016 Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference comes to a close, show organizers continued the SDC’s recent trend of making making an impact in the host city. For the sixth straight year, the Schedulers and Dispatchers (S&D) advisory council sponsored a “Pay-It-Forward” clothing drive, asking attendees to bring gently worn business attire for donation to Dress for Success-Tampa Bay, and Abe Brown Ministries, two local non-profit organizations that will help disadvantaged people secure employment.

This year’s total—4,379 garments—shattered the mark set last year, when 1,500 items were donated, according to MedAire’s Debbi Laux, who co-created and chairs the effort. This year's donation included 3,800 new dress shirts and blouses worth $95,000 donated by World Fuel Services (with Bizmark, Alliance Aviation, Executive Flight Center and Jet Aviation), Universal Weather & Aviation, Landmark Aviation, Rockwell Collins, Signature Aviation, Shirtboy and Air Service Hawaii.

New this year was a food drive, initiated by Eve Gregory, this year’s SDC chair. That effort collected more than $4,000 in donations. On the first day of the show, volunteer attendees packed 800 bags with food supplied in part by Gregory’s employer (and NBAA member) C&S Wholesale Grocers, to be distributed to hungry children in the area.