Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks Beginning of a New Era of Support for Tampa Bay Area Service Members and their Families

LUTZ, FL, March 14, 2012 (Press-News.org) A groundbreaking for the first chartered USO center approved in nearly 10 years is scheduled for Thursday, March 15 at 11:30 a.m. at Tampa International Airport near the British Airways ticket counter. The airport is located at 4100 George J. Bean Parkway Tampa, FL 33607. A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony. Refreshments provided by Tampa International Airport. The public is welcome to attend.

The organizers of this historic initiative are encouraged by the level of community support they are receiving to help get this new facility opened. "Tampa International Airport is building the USO Tampa Bay Lounge as part of the upgrades to its main terminal. Construction begins this month and completion is scheduled for July 2012, prior to the start of the Republican National Convention which will be held in Tampa later this year," according to Walter Lamerton, Chair of the USO Tampa Bay, Inc. Board of Directors. "The groundbreaking for this new facility brings us one step closer to having a world class facility in our community to properly service our military and their families while moving through the Tampa International Airport."

Joe Lopano, CEO of Tampa International Airport, said he is delighted to include the USO lounge as part of the airport renovations.

"The military is a significant part of the Tampa Community, with MacDill Air Force Base located here. All service men and women need to be recognized as the heroes that they are. A USO at our airport helps that recognition," he said.


USO Tampa Bay is preparing to help serve the more than 300,000 active duty service members and their families who travel through Tampa International Airport each year. In addition, USO Tampa Bay will foster several other key programs in the greater Tampa Bay area designed to help support active duty service members and their families.

USO Tampa Bay will focus their efforts on serving the following counties: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Pasco, Sarasota, Manatee and Hernando.

To learn more about USO Tampa Bay visit USOTampaBay.org.

Media interested in covering this event contact Kendra Cummings at 813.961.4700 or at Kendra @ConsultVistra.com.

About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America's troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases in the U.S. and abroad, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen. The USO is a private, nonprofit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors.