Texas Lions Camp wins American Airlines award

A television commercial showcasing the Texas Lions Camp, a camp designed for children with disabilities, has been selected by online voters as the winner of the first Altitude Award, created by American Airlines Inc. and the American Association of People with Disabilities to honor the best U.S. TV ad featuring positive portrayals of people with disabilities.

The winning ad, “Different Abilities - Not Like the Others,” highlights the spirit of the Texas Lions Camp, and will air free during January 2010 onboard selected American flights as part of the airline’s inflight entertainment programming.

The ad was chosen from among the top five finalists by voters who visited the Fort Worth-based carrier’s online gallery during the Sept. 23-Oct. 23 voting period. Other finalists included Cars for Courage, Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas, CSS-Online.org and Coca-Cola.

“Through this commercial, the Texas Lions Camp is helping encourage acceptance of people with disabilities,” said Roger Frizzell, American’s vice president-corporate communications and advertising.

Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of AAPD, said consumers who participated as voters in the Altitude Award “became a powerful voice of change for people with disabilities.”

“Congratulations to our winner for taking such a positive step in the use of advertising to show how a camp can be so important for children with disabilities,” said Imparato.

Additional information on the Texas Lions Camp is available at www.lionscamp.com

bdillard@bizpress.net