See this Report on the Training from Ministry of Interior regarding Airline Ambassadors Awareness Training in Budapest, Hungary on Oct. 14 & 15, 2015.

& Celebration of the 9th EU Anti Trafficking Day

Here are Facebook Posts by the Ministry

Ms Krisztina Berta, Deputy State Secretary for EU and National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Ministry of Interior opened the conference, followed by remarks by Nancy Rivard, Airline Ambassadors International, Giji Gya, DCAF, Dr. Benedek Mándi, Interpol, Dr. Szonja Szabó, National Bureau of Investigation as well as Hungarian Police.  The idea of training air crew staff and airport personnel is a social innovation in community policing, providing thousands more eyes and ears to recognize and report Human Trafficking.

It is with great sadness that we share the death of Tom Whitehead, the beloved husband of Margaret Whitehead, Director of our Children’s Medical Escort Program.  He was patient and supportive of Margaret working nearly full time to manage this program since 1996 and he will be dearly missed.  Cards or letters to Margaret can be sent to:  Email  mmwhitehead3@aol.com or by post to:

Margaret Whitehead; 113 Masters Dr. N.  Peachtree City GA 30269

The Children’s Medical Escort program has provided loving escorts for more than 3,000 children to receive life-saving surgeries. Here is a sample and  another sample of hundreds of recent stories….and Margaret wouldn’t have been able to oversee this important work, without the support of her loving husband.

Obituary: Tom J. Whitehead, 78, of Peachtree City, GA passed away December 17, 2014 following a brief and courageous battle with cancer. He was born and raised in Albertville, AL and was a US Army veteran. He was an air traffic controller and retired from the FAA in Atlanta, GA. Following his retirement he traveled extensively throughout the world in various positions with aircraft parts companies, supervising major commercial aircraft maintenance projects, and as a volunteer with intercountry adoption agencies. He loved all things aviation and for many years he built and flew model airplanes. In recent years he was an avid woodworker. Tom is survived by Margaret, his wife of 48 years; one son, David Whitehead (Mollie) of Birmingham, AL; daughters Terri Vannatter (Larry), of Birmingham, AL, Kathryn Oliver (Harold) of Trussville, AL, Kimberly Brandt-Nielsen (Jorgen) of Peachtree City, GA and Juliane Santiago (Marc) of Fletcher, NC; 4 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; and a sister, Ann Jacobs of Newnan, GA. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Civil Air Patrol at either: the Asheville Composite Squadron, 120 Wright Brothers Way, Fletcher, NC 28732 or the Peachtree City Composite Squadron, c/o Peachtree City United Methodist Church, 225 Robinson Road, Peachtree City, GA 30269.

Teaching Plane Etiquette for Kids 

Flight attendant pens children’s book about airplane safety and good manners –

During a book signings across the U.S. author and flight attendant M.L. Murray introduced travelers to her new children’s book, Plane Manners.  A beautifully illustrated, delightful story that features a cast of zoo animals each conveying good manners and tips on airplane safety is a little book with a big heart and a lofty goal. Volunteers needed to join book-signings in the following cities: 

                                                                              Available in Heritage bookstores located in 12 U.S. airports, Plane Manners ($14.95) was written by a veteran flight attendant who has seen first-hand how rewarding it is for children who travel that have displayed good manners and how contagious it is to other passengers.  M.L. Murray began her airline career flying for major international airlines in 1968.  An active member of Airline Ambassadors International (AAI), Murray has pledged to donate $1.00 from the purchase of every Plane Manners book to AAI’s efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance, escort children in need of medical care and advocate and educate for children protection – particularly human trafficking in children, a global epidemic.

“My wish is every adult will read Plane Manners to their child before they fly and both will be reminded how important ‘plane manners’ and child safety are wherever your flight takes you,” said M.L. Murray during the first of 18 book signings she’ll participate in across the country.  “Equally important to me is raising awareness around the prevention of human trafficking, particularly the trafficking of children.  Child safety takes many forms and as flight attendants, we have a unique opportunity to observe warning signals among travelers and report suspicious activity to the authorities.  My hope is to raise significant funds from the sale of Plane Manners to enhance the training and education efforts led by Airline Ambassadors International.  We can help rescue a child’s life by ensuring every flight attendant is aware of human trafficking warning signs and takes action to stop this crime.”  Click HERE for Radio Interview with Travel Talk Media

“Plane Manners” a Children’s Book with Lofty Goals

The book’s inflight adventure features a number of unlikely travel companions who practice good manners in spite of close quarters and unique cabin mates.  Kids experience good plane etiquette and safety lessons through memorable characters like paparazzi-hounded celebrity Zoe the Zebra, too-tall Geoffrey the Giraffe, and the well-manned Michael the Chimp Gentleman.  Plane Manners is first in a series of books to teach children good manners in every life situation.

Illustrated by Paul Tuller with rhyming by Nancy Huether, Plane Manners is available for bulk purchase at a discounted price, visit www.magicmomentbooks.com for details. Book signings before the Christmas holidays include: Washington National, New York, Dallas, Washington Dulles, Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta, Orange County,  Philadelphia, and Fort Myers airports.  

About Human Trafficking

Approximately 18,000 persons are trafficked into the United States from over 50 countries every year.  Over 300,000 children are trafficked within the United States annually.  U.S. children are trafficked to large urban centers such as Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles, as well as to tourism destinations including Las Vegas and Florida.  The American girls and women that are trafficked come from big cities and small towns.  They come from affluent, middle class, and lower income families and from many ethnic backgrounds and recruited from malls, schools, youth centers, theme parks, neighborhoods, and online.

The Facts:

–        Human Trafficking is a $32 billion industry annually for organized crime

–        Each year over 2 million women and children are sold into slavery and within the U.S. over 300,000 annually

–        Human Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, second only to the drug trade

–        The money from this illicit industry fuels organized crime and terrorist networks worldwide

–        Victims of sex trafficking can be girls or boys, women and men