Thanks a Million+, American Airlines Employees and Customers!

Let’s hear it for the Champions! For the fourth year in a row, American Airlines flight attendant volunteers and Admirals Club staff — known as “Champions for Children” — collected donations from generous American Airlines customers that totaled more than $1 million. In all, $1,185,739.82 was raised in 2012 through UNICEF’s Change for Good program on American Airlines. A global campaign launched by UNICEF in 1987, Change for Good converts airline travelers’ donations of currency — dollars, Euros, pesos, reais — into lifesaving services for vulnerable children. American Airlines customers have donated nearly $9 million through Change for Good since 1994.

Change for Good on American Airlines Has Another Banner Year Let’s hear it for the Champions! For the fourth year in a row, American Airlines flight attendant volunteers and Admirals Club staff — known as “Champions for Children” — collected donations from generous American Airlines customers that totaled more than $1 million. In all, $1,185,739.82 was raised in 2012 through UNICEF’s Change for Good program on American Airlines. A global campaign launched by UNICEF in 1987, Change for Good converts airline travelers’ donations of currency — dollars, Euros, pesos, reais — into lifesaving services for vulnerable children. American Airlines customers have donated nearly $9 million through Change for Good since 1994.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines Photo courtesy of American Airlines

 

The generous donations from American’s customers have enabled UNICEF to make a profound and lasting impact throughout the world. Last year’s funds are supporting an array of critical services, including HIV programs in numerous countries and emergency nutrition in the Sahel region of Africa. In addition, Champions for Children volunteers recently voted to direct three months worth of their collections to a water, sanitation, and hygiene project in southern Colombia. Today, American Airlines and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF celebrated last year’s success at a special event at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Gate D24. Attendees were treated to refreshments and Brazilian music, and four very special guests (pictured here), the 2012 “Change for Good Champions of the Year,” were honored for their exemplary efforts on behalf of children. Alexandra Pedreros, Sean Nowicke, Martin Beltran, and Max Mierbeth then departed for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a UNICEF field visit to witness first-hand the impact of their efforts on children in one of Rio’s favelas. Also recognized at today’s event was Airline Ambassadors International (AAI), an organization that helped recruit 2,700 “Champions for Children” volunteers between 2006 and 2012. American Airlines, the U.S. Fund, and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) presented AAI President and Founder, Nancy Rivard, with a plaque for this absolutely pivotal contribution. To all of you who have donated your spare currency to help children, thanks a million+! To learn more, visit www.unicefusa.org/changeforgood.