Rock the Air campaign reached 10,000 in less than two weeks; continued support needed to draw Embry-Riddle

From press release

More than 10,000 people have signed the petition to help bring Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s third residential campus to Rockford. The campaign reached that mark less than two weeks after kicking off.

Residents and businesspeople from around the region have signed the online petition at RockTheAir.com, signed and distributed paper petitions and signed forms provided by the local newspaper.

“This great show of support helps Embry-Riddle understand just how much the Rockford region wants the university here, and how well we’ve done getting the word out about the opportunity,” said Janyce Fadden, president of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council (RAEDC). “But we can’t stop at 10,000. The next step is to spread the word beyond the Rockford region, to get signatures from around the Midwest showing that support for this campus will come from far and wide. Tell your friends, family and business contacts about RockTheAir.com.”

Paper petitions are available to download at RockTheAir.com. Petitions are also available at the RAEDC office, the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, The Rock River Times and Chicago Rockford International Airport’s passenger terminal and administration building.

There is no specific goal for how many signatures the campaign is seeking. Instead, the goal is to get as many from as wide an area as possible.

The RAEDC is part of a large group of government, business and civic organizations teaming together in the campaign to bring Embry-Riddle here.

Besides the petition, the campaign is gathering letters of support from key civic leaders and resolutions from government bodies. Already, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-16) have pledged their support.

The campaign is also reaching out to businesses that may employ Embry-Riddle students and graduates. Businesses are asked to fill out the survey found at RockTheAir.com.

“The community has come together in a big way, and we’re working on attracting Embry-Riddle here on many different levels,” Fadden said. “But continued public support, through getting the word out about the petition, is a way everyone can help out.”