SEATTLE, Feb. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska
Airlines today named UNCF (United Negro College Fund) its newest
Charity Miles partner, launching the partnership with a gift of one
million frequent flier miles.
UNCF is the national leader in the effort to expand college
access for African-American and other minority students. Since the
organization's founding in 1944, UNCF efforts have helped to more
than double the number of minorities attending college. Each year,
the organization provides more than $100
million in scholarships to students, nearly half of whom are
the first in their family to attend college.
Blog: Alaska's newest Charity Miles partner brings dreams
within reach for students of color
"Our top focus is to increase the number of African American
students who are entering college, staying in college and
graduating college to then go on to meaningful and successful
careers," said Dr. Michael L. Lomax,
UNCF president and CEO. "One of the big barriers for our students
taking advantage of the opportunities we offer is that they may not
have the means to travel. This partnership with Alaska Airlines
will help remove that barrier for students who need it most."
Alaska Airlines' Charity Miles program offers Mileage Plan™
members a unique and meaningful way to support important causes.
Miles donated to this program help charities with business travel,
accommodation of special organization requests and achievement of
the organization's mission. Donated miles will help students fly to
college tours, travel back and forth between school and home, and
participate in a variety of leadership development programs and
other programming offered by UNCF.
"UNCF does amazing work, and we're thrilled to offer our Mileage
Plan members the opportunity to help further this organization's
mission," said Brad Tilden, Alaska
Airlines CEO. "We chose UNCF because the work they do has a direct
impact on underserved communities of color across the United States."
This new relationship with UNCF represents the first expansion
of the Charity Miles program in more than a decade, and is the
airline's first education-based charity included in the program.
UNCF joins nine other organizations supported year-round by
Alaska's Mileage Plan members
through the airline's Charity Miles donation program. Since 2011,
members have donated more than 300 million miles. Additional
partner organizations include The Nature Conservancy, Make-A-Wish
Foundation, Medical Teams International, Fred Hutch Cancer Research
Center and more. Members can donate miles online at
alaskaair.com/charitymiles.
Alaska Airlines and Virgin America along with their regional
partners, fly 40 million customers a year to 118 destinations with
an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa
Rica and Cuba. With
Alaska and Alaska Global Partners,
customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900
destinations worldwide. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched
reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com.
Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of
Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and
most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the
community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and
development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens
its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the
importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF
institutions and other historically black colleges and universities
are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African American
baccalaureate degrees. UNCF annually awards $100 million in scholarships and administers more
than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and
fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and
faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000
students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the
country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in
education and its widely recognized trademark, "A mind is a
terrible thing to waste"® Learn more at UNCF.org, or for
continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter, @UNCF
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines