thedrifter
05-24-07, 07:31 PM
Airlines to match donations to Fisher House
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 24, 2007 18:17:47 EDT
If you’ve ever contemplated donating your frequent flier miles to help families get to the bedside of their wounded service members but just haven’t gotten around to it, this weekend is the time to do it.
Starting at 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, 10 major airlines will match donations of frequent flier miles by individuals to the Fisher House’s “Hero Miles” program. The matching donation program runs through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday.
The Hero Miles program uses these donated frequent flier miles to line up free airline tickets for loved ones to visit service members undergoing medical treatment at a military or VA medical facility as the result of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan, when such travel costs are not paid by the government.
In addition, recuperating service members with approved leave may receive free airline tickets to travel from the medical facility to visit their families, if they are not eligible for government-funded travel.
All the airlines currently participating in the Hero Miles program are matching donations of frequent flier miles from citizens: AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United, and U.S. Airways.
Those who want to donate their frequent flier miles can go to www.FisherHouse.org.
Since the program began in November 2003, it has provided about 10,000 tickets to benefit recuperating service members, saving their families about $12 million, according to Fisher House Foundation officials. The average cost of the tickets is about $1,300, because they must often be arranged within a day or two of travel.
“The American public has been supportive all along — I have yet to come to a point where I was not able to provide a ticket,” said Pamela Lea-Maida, who runs the program for the Fisher House Foundation.
But their supply of Continental frequent flier miles has run “dangerously low,” she said. Frontier frequent flier miles are also in short supply, because that airline just recently began participating in the program. Lea-Maida said she has been using between 4 million and 5 million frequent flier miles for the 10 airlines each week for families.
CNN is participating by airing news reports and promotions encouraging viewers to donate their frequent flier miles. The cable news network set up the weekend event to raise awareness about the Hero Miles program, and also contacted the airlines to ask them to match the donations, said CNN spokeswoman Megan Grant.
Earlier this year, CNN auctioned off a refurbished Humvee that had been deployed to Iraq for $1.25 million to benefit the Fisher House Foundation, which builds comfort homes to serve as temporary residences for families of patients receiving medical care at military or VA hospitals.
Ellie
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 24, 2007 18:17:47 EDT
If you’ve ever contemplated donating your frequent flier miles to help families get to the bedside of their wounded service members but just haven’t gotten around to it, this weekend is the time to do it.
Starting at 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, 10 major airlines will match donations of frequent flier miles by individuals to the Fisher House’s “Hero Miles” program. The matching donation program runs through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday.
The Hero Miles program uses these donated frequent flier miles to line up free airline tickets for loved ones to visit service members undergoing medical treatment at a military or VA medical facility as the result of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan, when such travel costs are not paid by the government.
In addition, recuperating service members with approved leave may receive free airline tickets to travel from the medical facility to visit their families, if they are not eligible for government-funded travel.
All the airlines currently participating in the Hero Miles program are matching donations of frequent flier miles from citizens: AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United, and U.S. Airways.
Those who want to donate their frequent flier miles can go to www.FisherHouse.org.
Since the program began in November 2003, it has provided about 10,000 tickets to benefit recuperating service members, saving their families about $12 million, according to Fisher House Foundation officials. The average cost of the tickets is about $1,300, because they must often be arranged within a day or two of travel.
“The American public has been supportive all along — I have yet to come to a point where I was not able to provide a ticket,” said Pamela Lea-Maida, who runs the program for the Fisher House Foundation.
But their supply of Continental frequent flier miles has run “dangerously low,” she said. Frontier frequent flier miles are also in short supply, because that airline just recently began participating in the program. Lea-Maida said she has been using between 4 million and 5 million frequent flier miles for the 10 airlines each week for families.
CNN is participating by airing news reports and promotions encouraging viewers to donate their frequent flier miles. The cable news network set up the weekend event to raise awareness about the Hero Miles program, and also contacted the airlines to ask them to match the donations, said CNN spokeswoman Megan Grant.
Earlier this year, CNN auctioned off a refurbished Humvee that had been deployed to Iraq for $1.25 million to benefit the Fisher House Foundation, which builds comfort homes to serve as temporary residences for families of patients receiving medical care at military or VA hospitals.
Ellie