ATLANTA, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This year 14
million cancer survivors are celebrating birthdays. While survival
rates have drastically improved, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and
the American Cancer Society are working to put an end to cancer all
together. Today at 112 airports around the world Delta is hosting
the 7th annual Delta Day of Hope to
finish the fight.
"You may have heard that Delta is cancelling cancellations
thanks to our industry-leading operational reliability, well we're
cancelling cancer too," said Bill
Lentsch, Delta's Senior Vice President – Airport Customer
Service and Airport Operations. "Cancer touches the lives of far
too many people. That's why Delta employees started Delta Day of Hope, encouraged that one day no
one would have to face the physical and emotional challenges of
this disease."
Delta Day of Hope is a worldwide
celebration taking place in airports from Atlanta to Narita. The global event is modeled after the
Society's popular Relay For Life, where communities across the
globe come together to honor cancer survivors, remember lost loved
ones and fight back against a disease that has already taken too
much.
Delta has partnered with the Society for 14 years and has
committed to exceed its 2015 fundraising total. That means raising
more than $1.7 million in 2016. And
the airline is well on its way, having collected more than
$1 million for the Society so far
this year.
"As we celebrate the country's 14 million cancer survivors
through Relay For Life, we also recognize and support the
caregivers who walk beside them through their journeys," said the
Crystal Mantooth- American Cancer Society Vice President, Community
Engagement- South Atlantic Division. "The cancer fight isn't one we
can win alone We need friends like Delta and their employees who
have been incredible partners for more than 14 years, raising
millions of dollars to create a world free from the pain and
suffering of cancer."
This year, the Society is shining a light on caregivers and the
critical role they play. Keith
Fidler is the Delta Station Manager in Charlotte and a
cancer survivor. He shared his story at Delta's Worldwide
Headquarters' on May 5, where Delta
people gathered for one of the largest corporate Relay For Life
activations.
"As a survivor, the only thing I could think about was beating
cancer," Fidler explained, fighting back tears. "I have a loving
wife who took care of everything else, everything."
Since cancer doesn't take a holiday, neither do Delta's efforts
to annihilate it. To raise awareness, inspire prevention and
support programs provided by the Society, a Boeing 767-400 takes
daily trips to destinations around the globe featuring an American
Cancer Society logo near the nose of the aircraft.
In addition to fundraisers throughout the year, Delta kicks
things up in May with Delta Day of
Hope, Relay For Life and the Delta Jet Drag, an epic tug-of-war
battle that pits teams of 20 against a Boeing 757.
But Delta and the American Cancer Society can't do it
alone. Join the fight and help put an end to cancer.
About Delta:
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year.
In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies
in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth
time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the
Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented
five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network,
Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 324
destinations in 58 countries on six continents. Headquartered in
Atlanta, Delta employs nearly
80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more
than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam
global alliance and participates in the industry's leading
trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as
well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its
worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than
15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including
Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake
City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of
dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and
technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the
ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub,
as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta,
Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines