- First Dreams Take Flight from Montreal since 2019
- Seventh flight of 2023 taking off from across Canada
- Every year, Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight take children
facing different challenges on the trip-of-a-lifetime.
MONTREAL, Nov. 8, 2023
/CNW/ - This morning, the first Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight
from Montreal since 2019 took off
with 150 children to Orlando to
experience the trip-of-a-lifetime. With the help of Air Canada
employee volunteers, support of the Air Canada Foundation and the
work by the Dreams Take Flight organization, eight flights
operate annually, providing over 1,000 children each year with an
unforgettable day at a theme park in Florida or California.
Accompanied by a crew of current and retired Air Canada employee
volunteers, the flight took off in the early hours of the morning
taking kids facing mental, physical, emotional or social adversity
to a theme park in Florida. By
generously donating their time, pilots, flight attendants,
maintenance engineers, and numerous other employees on the ground
and behind the scenes offer these children the chance to take a
break from their everyday to make memories and see new
possibilities.
"2023 is special for Dreams Take Flight Montreal. It's special
because we finally return to our business, the business of putting
smiles on children's faces. This year will be our first post-COVID
flight, full of start-up challenges. But, due to the dedication of
our volunteers, our team has overcome the problems and organized
the trip of a lifetime for 150 special needs children. These
children, from all over Quebec,
will enjoy an unforgettable magical trip, on November 8, in Florida," said Brian
Roscoe, President Dreams Take Flight Montreal.
The last Dreams Take Flight flight for 2023 will depart
from Ottawa on November 14.
About Dreams Take Flight
Dreams Take Flight is a national non-profit organization
dedicated to providing the trip of a lifetime to children who may
be physically, mentally or socially challenged. With the aid of Air
Canada, the Air Canada Foundation and other national and local
organizations and businesses, money is raised to fund the program
in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax. Funds not required for its primary
purpose can be gifted by Dreams Take Flight to other registered
charities that benefit physically, mentally or socially challenged
children and are within the policies adopted by Dreams Take Flight
Canada. The first Dreams Take Flight station was founded in
Toronto in 1989. Since then, the
organization has taken over 40,000 special children to Florida and California.
About the Air Canada
Foundation
The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused
on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in
2012. It offers both financial and in-kind support to
Canadian-registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital
Transportation Program, which redistributes Aeroplan points to 15
pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling sick children to
access the medical care they need away from home. The Air Canada
Foundation, in collaboration with the airline, also engages
directly in fundraising activities, such as the Every Bit Counts
program, which encourages customers to donate loose change of all
denominations on board flights or through collection containers
available in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. The Foundation also
offers continued support to major health-related causes that
benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international
humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more
information about the Air Canada Foundation, please read the
2020-21 impact report or the Air Canada's 2021 Corporate
Sustainability report available
at www.aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag
carrier and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network. Air Canada provides
scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in
Canada, the United States and Internationally on six
continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air
Canada's Aeroplan program is
Canada's premier travel loyalty
program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's
largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an
extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its
freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and
connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents
using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft. Air
Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global
operations by 2050. Air Canada
shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OCTQX in the US.
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