News
Icelandair's Special Children Travel Fund awards travel grants to 25 families
Twenty-five children and their families today received allocations from the Icelandair Special Children Travel Fund. This is a record number of allocations from the fund. Most of the families are from Iceland, although one Danish and one British family have also been awarded a grant from the fund at this time.
“Generous donations by our passengers make this unique project possible, as they lay the foundation for the fund through their donations of surplus coins. Some passengers go one step further and donate their Award Points to the fund, as well. Icelandair also makes a substantial contribution in each allocation term,” says Áslaug Thelma Einarsdóttir, Managing Director of the Special Children Travel Fund. “Icelandair supports sports and the arts, as well as humanitarian causes, and we are particularly proud of this joint effort between the company and its customers. The fund has grown from strength to strength, making it possible for a growing number of families to take their dream holiday. A trip like that is often very much needed, because the illness of a child can have a tremendous effect on the entire family and it is common for siblings and other family members to feel neglected during difficult periods.”
The Special Children Travel Fund allows families to take a holiday of their choice to one of Icelandair’s destinations abroad. All expenses are paid: flights, accommodation, a rental car, daily allowance, and entrance fees to special events chosen by the child. A total of 80 children and their families have received allocations from the fund since it was established in 2003, and the total number of passengers travelling under its auspices exceeds 300. The most popular trip so far has been a week’s holiday to Disney World in Florida, but the children have also chosen to travel to other destinations. The English family, for instance, has chosen to travel to Iceland because of how much the family members enjoy the show LazyTown.
The Special Children Travel Fund is financed in three ways. First, passengers onboard Icelandair aircraft are invited to donate their surplus change to the fund, and this effort has proven highly successful. Second, members of the Icelandair Frequent Flyer Club are given the opportunity to donate their Award Points. Third, Icelandair makes a substantial contribution to the fund.
The purpose of the Special Children Travel Fund is to give children with long-term illnesses and those living with difficult circumstances an opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime. The workings of the fund are founded on the ideas and work of ergotherapist Peggy Helgason, who for many years has worked as a volunteer in the children’s wards of Reykjavík’s hospitals and has supported numerous families of sick children in various ways. Peggy sits on the board of the Special Children Travel Fund. Chairman of the Board is Sigurður Helgason, former CEO of Icelandair. Halldór Jón Kristjánsson, Director of Landsbanki bank, is Deputy Chairman, and other board members are Anna Ólafía Sigurðardóttir, Head of Division at the Iceland Children’s Hospital, Ásgeir Haraldsson, Chief of Medicine at the Iceland Children’s Hospital, Áslaug Thelma Einarsdóttir, Director of Corporate Communications for Icelandair, Gunnar Már Sigurfinnsson, Director Sales and Marketing for Icelandair, Stefán Hreiðarsson, Director of the State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre, and Styrmir Gunnarsson, Editor-in-Chief of Morgunblaðið. Patron of the fund is Ms Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, former President of Iceland.
More information about the fund may be found on www.vildarborn.is.
