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CHETSNEDDEN
GERARD J. ARPEY
Chairman&CEO
AmericanAirlines
HelpingKids
Change for Goodworks — and by “works,” I
mean itsaveschildren’s lives—becausecustomers
likeyougivegenerouslyandbecauseour flightat-
tendantsarepassionateandcommitted to itssuc-
cess. Lastyear,AAcustomersdonatedmore than
$1.6million— thehighestamount in theprogram’s
16-year history. Let’s set anew record thisyear!
Change for Good is not the only opportunity
we have to helpUNICEF save children’s lives. I’m
sure you’re on the lookout for meaningful gift
ideas this holiday season, so I hope you’ll visit
whereyouwill findnot
just cards and gifts but an opportunity to honor
your friends and lovedoneswhile helping topro-
videhealthcare, cleanwater, nutrition, education
andemergency relief tochildrenallover theworld.
One final children’s initiative that is close to
my heart (you may recall me mentioning it in
last month’s column) is Snowball Express. Each
year, with the helpof hundreds of AA volunteers,
Snowball Express provides a fun, all-expenses-
paid holiday for children and spouses of fallen
militaryheroes. As theofficial airlineof Snowball
Express, we are proud tobring somemeasure of
joy to families who have sacrificed somuch on
ourbehalf.
In these troubled times, the problems of the
worldaresonumerousandcomplex that it’seasy
to feel overwhelmed, and it is tempting to con-
clude that there is nothing we can do tomake
a difference. But we know that’s not true. We
may not be able to solve the world’s problems,
at least not by ourselves, but we can all make a
differencesimplyby reachingoutanddoingwhat
comes naturally. If youwould like to learnmore
aboutourefforts tohelpkids inneed, pleasevisit
AA.com/JoinUs—and thenpleasedo joinus!
With the year drawing to a close, I want to
thank you on behalf of everyone at American
Airlines for honoring us with your business this
year andwish you and yours the best of every-
thing in2012.
Haveagreat tripandMerryChristmas!
THE ENDOF THE YEAR IS ALWAYS A TIMEOF
reflection, and I hopeyouwouldagree thatwhile
2011 will be remembered as a challenging year
formost people, there is stillmuch forwhichwe
can all be thankful. Near the topof the list is our
ability tohelp those less fortunate thanourselves.
When children are involved, that ability brings
a special joy. With that inmind, I would like to
use this month’s column to describe some of
the ways the people of American Airlines — in
concert with customers like you — are helping
children all over theworld.
The American Airlines Kids inNeed program
supportsavarietyoforganizationsdevoted to im-
proving the lives of childrenwithmedical, educa-
tional orother special needsand to raisingpublic
awareness of children’s issues. One of themost
powerful toolsatourdisposal isourMiles forKids
inNeedprogram,whichgivesAAdvantagemem-
bersaway todonatemiles that provide transpor-
tation to children in need of medical care. Last
year, AAdvantagemembers donatedmore than
80millionof their unusedmiles tohelpover 300
kidsget the care theyneeded.
Through the Kids in Need program, we are
also proud sponsors of the SomethingmAAgic
Foundation and their signature event, the
mAAgic flight, which gives childrenwith chronic
or life-threateningmaladiesanall-expenses-paid
vacation. This year, we flew 33 kids from around
the world, alongwith their families, to Orlando,
Fla., where they spent seven fun-filleddays visit-
ingCentral Florida’swonderful attractions.
With our flight attendants in the lead, we
are also very involved in the Change for Good
program, one of the best-known and longest-
running campaigns of the United Nations Chil-
dren’s Fund (UNICEF). A recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize, UNICEF provides medicine, immu-
nizations, clean water and other lifesaving as-
sistance to vulnerable children inmore than 150
countriesaround theworld.UNICEF is theofficial
charity of the
one
world alliance, and since 1999,
the
one
worldcarriershave raised tensofmillions
of dollars to help children in need. Much of that
money has come fromChange for Good, which
gives international travelers the opportunity to
donateunusedcurrency toUNICEFviaour flight
attendants. A handful of coins or a few loose
billsmay seem like a small contribution, but the
impact is anythingbut small.
8
DECEMBER 01, 2011
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
