CHANGE ISGOOD
AMERICAN INSIGHT
P
onan
internationalflightandheard
theannouncement. It isusu-
allymadeat theendof theflightand
is in the formofamodestrequest:
Ifyouhave leftovercoins from
thecountryyou justvisitedand
would like todonate them toagreat
cause,flightattendantswillbepass-
ingaroundcontainers tocollect the
money forcharity.
Thatgreatcause iscalled
UNICEF’sChange forGoodprogram
onAmericanAirlines.For thosewho
mayhavewonderedhowsuccessful
theprogram is, theanswer is:Very.
In2014, thechange—which
isalsocollected inAdmiralsClub
lounges—amounted to$958,000.
Over the20-yearhistoryof the
program, thecollectionshave totaled
$10.8million.For thosewhomay
havewonderedhow themoney is
used, theanswer is:Wonderfully.
FourAmericanAirlinesflight
attendantvolunteerscanvouch
for that. InMarch, they traveled to
Bolivia togetafirsthand lookathow
a little loosechangecanmakeavery
largedi¢erence.
Aspartofagroupofflightatten-
dantvolunteerscalled“Champions
forChildren,”TommyH.Yang (Chi-
cago), IvetteGeiger (Añasco,Puerto
Rico),LuisGarzon (Hollywood,
Florida)andElizabethCallahan
(Dallas)visitedUNICEF-supported
hospitals inIbueloandLaMisión
where they learnedabouthealth
initiatives forexpectantmothers
and theirchildren, aswellasHIV/
AIDSpreventionprograms inSanta
Cruzde laSierra.Theyalsovisiteda
librarywhichUNICEFhelpedbuild
inEntreRíos.
“Iseeabrighter future forgener-
ations tocomewith thehelpof the
fundsdonatedbyourpassengers,”
Yangsaid. “Through thework that
UNICEF isdoing inBolivia, I’veseen
thatahappy,healthyandeducated
child isonewithapromising future.”
Thevolunteer-basedChange for
GoodprogramempowersAmerican
Airlinesemployees tohelpmakea
di¢erence forchildren.Thepartner-
ship isoneofAmerican’s largest
and longestrunningcharitable
endeavorsand issupportedby
more than3,000dedicatedflight
attendantsandAdmiralsClubsta¢
members.
Incelebrationof20yearsof
partnershipand theircommitment
tosupportchildrenaround theworld
andUNICEF’smission,American
Airlineswashonoredby theU.S.
Fund forUNICEFat the“Children
First:AnEveningwithUNICEF”
gala inDallas inApril.
“Over the last20years
AmericanAirlinesand itsemployees
haveo¢ered invaluablesupport for
UNICEF’skeyprogramareas in-
cludinghealthcare, childprotection
andHIV/AIDS, aswellasUNICEF’s
response toeighthumanitarian
emergenciesaround theworld,”said
CarylStern,PresidentandCEOof
theU.S.Fund forUNICEF.
“Wearesograteful for their
longstandingcommitmentand the
tangibledi¢erence theirsupport
hasmade in thousandsofchildren’s
lives.”
To learnmoreabout theprogram,
pleasevisit
aa.com/champion
.
AmericanandU.S.FundforUNICEFworktogethertobenefitdisadvantagedchildren.
98
JUNE
2015
AMERICANWAY
AmericanAirlinesflight
attendant IvetteGeiger
enjoys the companyof
childrenat theLaMisión
community.
KRISTASCHMIDT
