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Frequent fliers can help make wishes come true
Contributed by: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado on 7/28/2005

“I wish to sleep on a hammock between two palm trees on the beach in Hawaii.” Nine-year-old Dakota, who lives each day with cystic fibrosis wishes to go to Hawaii so she can spend time on the beach, go snorkeling and attend a luau. Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado is asking frequent travelers to contribute frequent flier miles and help make Dakota’s wish, and those wishes of other children with life-threatening medical conditions, come true.

When Make-A-Wish volunteers ask a child for his or her favorite wish, very often the response begins with, “I want to go...” In fact, 70 percent of wishes granted last year by Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado involved travel. Fortunately, most major airlines have created programs that allow members of their frequent travel loyalty programs to donate their unused miles to charity. Such contributions have enabled Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado to send hundreds of children with life-threatening medical conditions and their families on the trip of a lifetime and have saved the Foundation thousands of dollars each year.

However, with the number of travel wishes constantly rising – more than 125 last year alone – the need for frequent flier miles is greater than ever. In fact, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado estimates that it would need more than 42 million frequent flier miles to fulfill every wish child’s travel wish this year.

Why should someone donate miles to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado rather than redeem them for free travel? The answer is as clear as the smiles on the faces of wish children like Pablito. Pablito is a dynamic and extremely spirited five-year-old who was born with spina bifida. When presented the opportunity to select one wish, Pablito wished to go “to infinity and beyond”- to Disney World to meet Buzz Lightyear. Thanks to the outstanding support the Foundation receives from its airline partners and the airlines’ customers, Pablito’s wish, and hundreds of others, have been fulfilled.

“A contribution of frequent flier miles to Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado is one of the most direct ways to help make a difference in the life of a child with a life-threatening medical condition,” said Rebecca Russell, vice president of development for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado. “The mileage the Foundation receives will help provide experiences that wish children and their families will cherish for a lifetime.”

Most major airlines have mileage donation programs. For a complete listing of participating airlines and detailed contribution procedures, please visit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado’s website at www.wishcolorado.org and click on “Giving” or call (800) 366-WISH (9474).

In 2004, 40.4 percent of travel wishes were to go to Disney World (most popular wish request); 50,000 frequent flier miles are required to purchase one airline ticket to Orlando, Fla.

Hawaii wishes require 70,000 frequent flier miles per ticket. On average, five family members participate in each travel wish; all travel expenses are paid for in full for each wish participant.

In 2004, 125 travel wishes, involving approximately 625 participants, were granted at an average cost of $369 per ticket.

In 2004, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado received 2,004,000 total frequent flier miles; airline tickets for 33.4 tickets were paid for using frequent flier miles, saving the Foundation more than $12,325.

According to Frequent Flier.com, there are more than 70 frequent flier programs, with more than 100 million members worldwide.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Since being founded in 1983, the Foundation has granted more than 2,100 wishes to eligible Colorado children.  The Colorado chapter is part of the largest wish-granting organization in the world, with 75 chapters in the United States and its territories, and 27 international affiliates on five continents.  For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado, visit www.wishcolorado.org.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado

Greenwood Village , CO

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado has posted 603 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado 's average story rating is 4.5.
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