'Fly High, Jackie' tribute at Ontario baseball game raises over $16,000 for Friends of Big Bear Valley

The Ontario Tower Buzzers turned a Sunday night minor league baseball game into a full-throated tribute to Jackie, the Big Bear bald eagle who captivated hundreds of thousands of viewers through a 24/7 livestream before her death this summer. The Aug. 23 "Fly High, Jackie" event at ONT Field, held in partnership with Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), raised over $16,105 for the nonprofit — and that total is expected to climb as presale orders for commemorative "Fly High, Jackie!" shirts continue to come in, Buzzers spokesperson Adam Serrano said the following morning^[1].

Fifty percent of ticket proceeds from a special donation link went directly to FOBBV, the organization that operates the continuous nest cameras that made Jackie a household name in the mountain community and far beyond^[1].

The evening was filled with personal moments. Clips of Jackie played during the pregame show, and when footage of Kaydee — the young eagle recently spotted alongside Jackie's longtime mate, Shadow — appeared on screen, the crowd responded with loud cheers, according to Serrano^[1]. Skytypers, an aerial advertising company based in Chino, wrote "Fly High Jackie" and "Sandy Forever" — a tribute to the late FOBBV founder Sandy Steers — across the sky above the stadium^[1].

The Ojai Raptor Center, the Ventura County wildlife rehabilitation facility that cared for Jackie during her final weeks, was front and center at the event. The Buzzers named Executive Director Chris Eksteen and Jackie's lead doctor, Kat Rasp, as heroes of the game. Serrano noted it was the first time the Ojai staff had met with FOBBV since Jackie's passing — "definitely very significant," he said^[1].

Jackie had been found grounded in mid-July after a fight with two younger eagles, and the Ojai center cared for her for nearly a month before she died^[1]. The center reported she had suffered large blood clots in both wings and a kidney; the official cause of death has not been determined^[1].

"As stewards of the Inland Empire community, we wanted to provide those who were touched by Jackie and Shadow's story with a place to celebrate Jackie's life at our game," Buzzers General Manager Benavides said^[1].

For updates on FOBBV's nest cameras and ongoing conservation efforts, visit the Friends of Big Bear Valley website.