Each year, the Air Canada Foundation provides financial and in-kind support to charitable organizations across Canada. Funds are raised through various fundraising activities, such as the annual Air Canada Foundation Golf Tournament and Every Bit Counts program, that invites customers to donate loose change of all denominations onboard Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights or in airport collection containers located in a number of Maple Leaf Lounges across Canada. Through these efforts, the Foundation donated more than $1.68M in 2018 ($100,000 increase from 2017) to registered charities that focus on the health and wellness of children and youth in canada.
Among the charitable organizations that benefit are the IWK Health Centre Foundation in Halifax and the McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation in Hamilton, two pediatric hospital members of the Children’s Miracle Network supported by the Air Canada Foundation. Both elected to purchase a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) North incubators — also called Giraffe OmniBed — to replace their aging equipment.
Critically ill and premature infants depend on life-saving equipment such as these incubators. As an example, to support the infants’ needs, the IWK Health Centre thoughtfully selected a specialized incubator that has an overhead warmer, an innovative piece of technology that allows the top to be raised, thus ensuring babies stay warm and comfortable during sensitive procedures. The new equipment also allows the care team members to have fast and easy access to the infants, so they can respond quickly during emergencies.
As a token of appreciation for the Foundation’s generous support, the IWK Health Centre Foundation and the McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation created thank-you videos, which we are pleased to share via our in-flight entertainment system for the next few months. So, next time you fly with us, make sure to watch them in the Air Canada “About us” section!
In 2019, all funds raised through the Every Bit Counts program will be donated to 14 Children’s Miracle Network pediatric hospital members across Canada to support their most urgent needs.
For more information about the Air Canada Foundation and its impact, please visit www.aircanada.com/foundation
