DALLAS, Nov. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has selected the 52 nonprofit
organizations to each receive 100 domestic one-way Southwest travel
awards to help spread kindness and support their missions. The
winning organizations were chosen as part of a contest the carrier
launched in September after achieving one million Acts of
Kindness in 2021, a goal set to celebrate Southwest's
50th Anniversary.
"As we reflect on our 50th Anniversary celebration,
the one million Acts of Kindness challenge and the One Million Dollars of Thanks contest stand out
as particularly memorable programs. They underscore the Heart of
our Values for more than 50 years: kindness and following The
Golden Rule—treating others as you would like to be treated," said
Linda Rutherford, Executive Vice
President People & Communications at Southwest Airlines. "We
are inspired by the more than 2,500 organizations that entered the
contest and shared their missions with us. We're grateful for the
opportunity to support the selected organizations and the work they
are doing in their communities to impact the lives of others."
The One Million Dollars of Thanks
contest offered 501(c)(3) organizations an opportunity to enter to
win 100 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards to spread
kindness and fulfill their mission-driven work. The contest
initially detailed that travel awards would be given to 50
nonprofit organizations in celebration of Southwest's
50th Anniversary; however, 52 organizations earned the
carrier's support by receiving perfect scores based on contest
criteria. The total travel prize is 5,200 domestic, one-way
Southwest travel awards at a value of more than $1 million.
Southwest launched the one million Acts of Kindness challenge in
January 2021 to kick off a yearlong
celebration of the airline's 50th Anniversary of
its first flight, celebrating half a century of connecting People
and championing communities. Participants engaged in the challenge
by signing the airline's Kindness Pledge and committing to
complete Acts of Kindness for others. Each signature to the
Kindness Pledge and Act of Kindness shared on social media using
the hashtag #HeartinAction counted toward achieving the one million
Acts of Kindness goal.
The organizations selected to win the travel awards include:
- Armed Services YMCA of Honolulu (YMCA of Honolulu), Honolulu
- Arnold Air Society, Silver Wings and Angel Flight Educational
Fund, Sacramento, Calif.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island
County, Oak Harbor,
Wash.
- Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation,
Baltimore
- Canine Companions for Independence, Santa
Rosa, Calif.
- Chi Alpha at The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
- Children's Flight of Hope, Raleigh,
N.C.
- Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Inc., Norfolk, Va.
- Colorado Orthodontic Foundation, Denver
- Connecting Point of Park
Cities, Dallas
- Cornerstone Foundation, Inc., Hartford, Conn.
- Diversity Center (Santa Cruz Lesbian & Gay Community
Center), Santa Cruz, Calif.
- Ed Reed Foundation (Players Philanthropy Fund), Baltimore
- Florida Literacy Coalition, Orlando,
Fla.
- Friends Foundation (Friends of Emmaus), Marthasville, Mo.
- Friends of Madison County Child Advocacy Center, St. Louis
- Give Kids The World Village, Orlando,
Fla.
- Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., Williston, Fla.
- HELP of Southern Nevada,
Las Vegas
- Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Oakland, Calif.
- Healing Odyssey, Inc., Lake Forest,
Calif.
- HealthRIGHT 360, San
Francisco
- Hearts for Homes, Dallas
- Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, Atlanta
- LIFEDesigns, Inc., Bloomington,
Ind.
- Lincoln Hills Cares, Denver
- Med Center Health Foundation (Commonwealth Health Foundation),
Bowling Green, Ky.
- Miracle Flights, Las
Vegas
- Mission Centers of Houston, Houston
- Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada, Inc., Las Vegas
- Open Door Sports Inc., Washington,
D.C.
- Patient Airlift Services, Farmingdale, N.Y.
- Peralta Colleges Foundation, Oakland,
Calif.
- Port Aransas Education Foundation, Port Aransas, Texas
- Road Trip Home Animal Rescue, Inc., Atlanta
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, Las Vegas
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, Louisville, Ky.
- Seeing Higher, Durham,
N.C.
- Share the Care, Inc., Orlando,
Fla.
- Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, Grass Valley, Calif.
- SpoofDawg to the Rescue Inc., Orange
County, Calif.
- Success 1st, Mantua,
N.J.
- Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), San Diego
- The HUGS Foundation, Inc., Rochester,
N.Y.
- The Russell Home for Atypical Children, Orlando, Fla.
- The WunderGlo Foundation, Los
Angeles
- Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), Tucson, Ariz.
- United in Autism (DBA Labeled & Loved), Dallas
- Victory Therapy Center, Dallas
- Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc., Tampa,
Fla.
- Whidbey Animals' Improvement Foundation (WAIF), Coupeville, Wash.
- Young Hearts Foundation, Fairfax,
Va.
In the coming weeks, Southwest will feature some of these
organizations and the work they do in a video series on the
carrier's official channels. For more information about the
kindness challenge, Southwest's 50th Anniversary, and
these organizations visit Southwest50.com/actsofkindness.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 51st year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co.
continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with
exemplary Customer Service delivered by
nearly 54,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130
million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of
point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure
and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest
operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101
destinations in the United States
and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to
Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs,
Calif.; Steamboat Springs;
and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest
has initiated service to Chicago
(O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both on Feb.
14; Savannah/Hilton Head and
Colorado Springs both on
March 11; Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. both on April 12; Fresno,
Calif. on April
25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May
6; Myrtle Beach, S.C. on
May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on
May 27; Jackson, Miss. on
June 6; Eugene, Ore. on
Aug. 29 and Bellingham, Wash. on Nov. 7. The carrier will begin service
to Syracuse on Nov. 14.
The carrier issued its Southwest® Promise in
May 2020 to highlight new and
round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees
well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning
efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal
mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times
throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest
Promise are available
at Southwest.com/Promise.
Southwest coined Transfarency® to describe its
purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and
low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S.
airline to offer bags fly free® to everyone (first and
second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply,
some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in
qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees,
though fare differences might apply.
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world,
known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the
carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of
its People and the communities they serve, and an overall
commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the
carrier gives back to communities across the world by
visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by
phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA®.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.