In this issue
- Call to Action
- Haiti News
- Events
- Featured Trip
- Happenings
- Thank you
- Bravos!
- Social Media
- Children's Escort News
- News
- Volunteer Programs
- Missions
- eUpdate Archive
Social
Media
You
don't have to
look far to find
us!
Children's
Escort
Volunteers
153
Children escorted on life changing journeys in 2010!
We
want to thank all our 2010 escorts who
volunteered
on their days off to help a child in need. Without them, there
would be no Children’s Escort Program.
Belize
Kathy Savage and
Frances Little (both DFWAA flight attendants) escort 4 orthopedic
patients through winter weather. The children experience their
first snow before reaching their destinations.
Read about their
journey...
Margaret Whitehead,
Director of the program
shares many more
Escort Stories!
News
Keep up with
Airline
Ambassadors!
Visit our News
Section and Photo
Galleries!
To
review Haiti news and
keep
up with the latest
developments,
visit our
Haiti
Updates pages.
Volunteer Programs
It's a
lifestyle...
UNICEF, American Airlines
(AA)
and Airline
Ambassadors
Intl (AAI)
teamed up for the Change
for
Good Program and
collected a record-breaking $1.4 Million in 2010.
Read
more and find out how you can help when you fly American
Airlines on
international flights!
For more
Volunteer
Opportunities,
visit
our listings.
Now, more than ever...
Donate miles to support
Airline
Ambassadors
Projects. Visit
United
Charity
Miles today!
For more ways that you can help, please
visit
Volunteer
Programs.
Missions
Whether it's Haiti,
Chile,
Nicaragua, Ethiopia, or
South Africa...
there's a trip for
you!
Find
your niche
and
feed your passion...
Brawn (build schools, plant
gardens, deliver critical aid), Brains (teach, educate, develop
learning programs), or Big Heart (orphanage
visits)!
Watch our
2011
Calendar
for
postings that fit your
schedule, skills, and
passion!
Did you miss any eUpdates?
Visit the Airline
Ambassadors'
eUpdate
Archive
for past issues.
Pass it
on
If you
know someone who may be interested in
receiving
this newsletter,
please
send the eUpdate
to a
friend.
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Call
to Action
Every
year, as many as
300,000
U.S. children are
forced
into sexual slavery
You
can help put an end to it.
Human
Trafficking.
I’m
Not Buying It!
Find
out more about what
Airline
Ambassadors is doing.
You
may help by donating to our
Fight
Human Trafficking Initiative and
signing our petition.
Haiti News
 This month
is the anniversary of one of the most devastating disasters of this
century. 80% of houses in the earthquake zone near
Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, collapsed and there were 240,000
dead and over one million homeless. Thousands of newly
orphaned children did not have enough food, water, or shelter.
Inspired by a donation from the Homeless of
Miami, Airline Ambassadors chartered our first aircraft on January
17, 2010. The Belinda Stronach Foundation sent in 8 more
airplanes, and we sent supplies from LDS Charities, Rotary, and our
members on planes from United and American as well. We
transported 500 doctors and nurses and 3 million pounds of
desperately needed medical supplies, food, and water. Read
more in our 2011
Haiti News Update...
Many thanks to Carl Innis of Procuserve
who donated houses for the safe house projects and UNICEF for
partnering with AAI for Human
Trafficking Awareness projects at airports in both Haiti and the
Dominican Republic.
Events
United Nations Press
Conference
2011 theme,
"Peace and Reconciliation"
Tuesday, 15th of February 2011
Launch
of Peace and Cooperation School Award 2011
Join
the movement and encourage schools and children to participate in
the Airline Ambassadors' Annual Youth School Competition!
Find
out more...
Featured Trip
 South Africa
Join an African Safari
with a purpose!
Game drives, featuring the "Big Five" will amaze
you, a cruise on the St. Lucia River will astound you, weavers and
craftspeople will inspire you, African village music will delight
you, and hand-delivering aid to orphaned children will change your
life forever. Don't miss South Africa! Review the itinerary
and visit AAI's 2011 Travel
Calendar for more information.
Happenings
Saving Lovely - A life saved on the anniversary of
the earthquake
(NY
Daily News article)
Today,
Lovely Ajuste celebrates her birthday and the possibility of a
future. Three of AAI children’s escorts, Masako Doi, Rhondine
Simmons and Amy Watson joined the Sweet 16 birthday party at Ronald
McDonald House in Great Neck, New York. They are celebrating
her successful heart surgery -- exactly 1 year after the
devastating earthquake. Read more here...
Dr.
Desruisseaux first met Lovely Ajuste at the CDTI Hospital of
Sacre-Coeur 2 weeks after the earthquake, and although medical
treatment helped clear a parasitic infection recent examination
determined that Lovely would lose her life without proper
surgery. Repair of her heart could not be performed in Haiti
and surgery at the New York, Montefiore's Pediatric Heart Center
was the only opportunity to save her life.
Rotary’s
Gift of Life program coordinated for the hospital to accept Lovely
but she only had a week to manifest many miracles; the family
barely had clothes to put on their backs and shoes to travel, but
one by one, miracles unfolded: a visa approved by the Embassy, a
suitcase, clothing and shoes, transportation and AN AIRLINE
TICKET.
Because of
quick action by Pattye Paynes of AA’s Miles for Kids in Need,
Lovely’s life was saved on January 12, the anniversary of the
earthquake! Pattye is pictured here with another child on his
way to heart surgery last summer.
 Thanks
too to Maryse Noel, of AA Special Services in Port-au-Prince, (who
lost her own house during the earthquake), but gave up a day off to
facilitate Lovely’s escort as well. Maryse is pictured
here in front of her demolished house and car with AAI's Joseph
Mutti.
Wheelchair delivered
to Costa Rica
AAI Ambassador,
Mary Furlong-Ferguson, went above and beyond the call of duty when
Rotary Club of Grand Prairie, Texas reached out and she answered the
call. Mike Hasty, of the Rotary Club, stated that he needed a
wheelchair delivered from New York to Texas and was desperate to
find some way for it to be delivered to Costa Rica. The
organization looked into making it possible and no one could find a
way to get it delivered, so he reached out to AAI.
AAI contacted Mary and she stepped in and
ensured that it was delivered. In an email, Mary stated, "I
think as a team, we can make this happen." And they
did!
 Mike wrote, "Mary a special thank you to you and
your Airline Ambassadors and all at American Airlines. What a
wonderful, smooth logistical blessing." William Barrantes, the
contact in San Jose, responded, "Wheelchair is now in Rotary hands
going to Puntarenas...thanks all." Thank you, Mary, for making
it all happen! We are truly grateful for such great help from
you and everyone who was involved.
Bikes for
Cambodian Children
 Airline
Ambassadors provided money for Lisa McCoy's school in Cambodia this
summer and now you can help supplement this effort by helping to
provide a rural child with a sturdy bicycle equipped with a basket,
carrier, generator powered lamp, lock and key. We are only 8
bicycles short of our goal of 70 to complete our Phase Three
target. Help us reach out in support of the Rotary
Wheels for Learning. $50 Donors are provided with a photo
of their sponsored child with their bicycle.
Mail
donations to:
Airline Ambassadors Intl.
1020 16th St. NW # 603
Washington, DC 20036
In memo section, please
write:
Rotary Wheels for Learning - Cambodia
Rotary Mission
In Haiti -- The island of La Gonaive
 Rotary Districts from New York and Illinois embark on
another mission to Haiti's Island of LaGonaive. Rotary
District Governor and AAI member, George Solomon, will lead a group
to follow up on his efforts to provide water to a village in the
mountain region, called Nan Sema. In 2006, his group brought a well
to service 5,000 people in a population of 80,000. In 2009,
the Rotary team equipped a medical clinic as well as replaced the
surgical suite at the Island's only hospital. After the
earthquake the population of the island has swelled to 130,000
people and the well now provides water to 15% of the Island's
population. Because of skyrocketing fuel prices, the generator
(which powered the well and the clinic) could only be used two hours
per day. George spearheaded a grant from Rotary Foundation Grant to
install solar panels, power and a new well pump to be powered by the
solar panels in addition to a satellite dish for internet access for
the doctor. If you'd like to join this mission email
lynette@airlineamb.org.
Thank You:
 Thank you to Becky
Gahman, for your dedication and support to the children of
Mexico. For years, Becky worked tirelessly to ensure the
Mexico Orphanage, Casa de Paz, had money to pay their food and
electric bills. Becky led our Mexico trips for two and half
years and coordinated several incredible missions for us. We will
miss these fun and rewarding trips, filled with memories to last a
lifetime and great activities for our members. Becky has just
retired and will be working with us on other endeavors. For those of you who have
generously donated throughout the years to the Casa de Paz
orphanage, we need to inform you that we no longer will be
facilitating these donations through AAI. If you
would like to continue to fund this orphanage you may do as Becky
outlines in her thank you letter here.
Thank you again Becky for your
dedicated work at AAI. You truly do bring compassion into
action!
Bravo
to:
Airline Ambassadors'
Board Member, Daniel Sheth, reports about Jackie's House,
Dominican Republic
View the Jackie's House photo
album and Mandell
School video.
To learn more about Jackie's House, please visit
the Donate
to a Project section on the AAI web site.
Many thanks to Daniel Sheth, Airline Ambassadors
Board member, treasurer and tireless, generous supporter.
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