Aer Lingus fundraising takes off

Sandra Sheehan and Liam Neeson sharing a joke at the reception in the Shelbourne Hotel.

Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson recently met with Aer Lingus Change for Good Ambassadors to celebrate 21 Years partnership of the Change for Good Appeal.

Donations from Aer Lingus guests this year have helped to raise over $1.2million for children living in poverty and crisis across the globe. Over the course of the 21 years of the partnership, Aer Lingus guest donations have raised over €21 million, which has been deployed to provide children around the world with quality education, health care, nutrition, water and sanitation, as well as, emergency relief.

Meeting with guests and employees in the Shelbourne Hotel, Liam Neeson credited them for outstanding action and fundraising. Neeson, an ambassador for the global child rights organisation since 1997, spent the afternoon with seven Aer Lingus cabin crew, named as UNICEF Ambassadors, thanking them for their work in raising €1 million for UNICEF in 2017 through the airline’s ‘Change for Good’ initiative, which is made possible through their TakeOff Foundatio

The Aer Lingus Take Off Foundation is the overarching corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme for Aer Lingus, which encompasses all Aer Lingus charity and corporate social responsibility activities. This includes continued work with chosen charity partners, UNICEF Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland, as well as a number of charity initiatives undertaken by Aer Lingus staff and volunteers.

The TakeOff Foundation also supports small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland, in addition to Irish culture and the Arts through the Aer Lingus Irish Filmmaker Competition.

In a special video message to Aer Lingus guests released at the end of January, Mr. Neeson explains: “This year alone Aer Lingus raised €1 million, helping children through on-board donations for war-torn Syria as well as Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen, which were ravaged by famine and most-recently children displaced by the Rohingya crisis who had to flee their homes in Myanmar. A special thanks to all Aer Lingus guests. It’s with thanks to your generous donations UNICEF has been able to make a big difference to change children’s lives for the better.”

‘Change for Good’ is Aer Lingus cabin crew’s in-flight collection of unwanted foreign notes and coins on all long-haul flights, which supports UNICEF’s global mission for children in over 150 of the world’s poorest countries and territories. Since 1997, UNICEF has received €21 million from Aer Lingus for vulnerable children everywhere.

UNICEF Ambassador and Aer Lingus cabin crew member Sandra Sheehan commented:

“We at Aer Lingus are extremely proud of our work with UNICEF. Spending time with Liam Neeson, sharing our pictures and experiences and discussing the importance of our work was a very special moment for us all. His role as a global UNICEF ambassador is inspirational. He has seen first-hand from his field-trips the positive impact that the loose change and notes that we collect on-board Aer Lingus flights can have on the lives of children worldwide.”

“On behalf of Aer Lingus cabin crew and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, I would like to thank every single Aer Lingus guest who has donated to us on-board. We look forward to continuing our relationship with UNICEF in 2018 and are committed to helping create a safer, better environment for children worldwide.”

UNICEF is present across 190 countries and territories working for every child and building a better world for everyone. UNICEF fights to ensure children’s rights are upheld, providing healthcare, clean water, nutrition, education, child protection and emergency relief. In Ireland the organisation’s global efforts are supported through fundraising, advocacy and education programmes. UNICEF is mandated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and holds the international community to account for its promises to children.

As part of the Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation, Aer Lingus supports UNICEF Ireland as a charity partner. In February 2018, Aer Lingus UNICEF Ambassadors will travel to India, visiting Delhi, Agra and Firozabad, and will meet and work with UNICEF representatives on the ground in the Uttar Pradesh region. For further information, visit www.aerlingus.com/about-us/takeoff-foundation. www.unicef.ie