One Million Dollars Of Thanks: Southwest Airlines Donates More Than One Million Dollars In Travel Awards To 52 Nonprofit Organizations Across The Country

Airline selects winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations out of more than 2,500 contest submissions each to receive 100 domestic one-way Southwest travel awards

News provided by

Southwest Airlines Co.

Nov 12, 2021, 10:27 ET

DALLAS, Nov. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has selected the 52 nonprofit organizations to each receive 100 domestic one-way Southwest travel awards to help spread kindness and support their missions. The winning organizations were chosen as part of a contest the carrier launched in September after achieving one million Acts of Kindness in 2021, a goal set to celebrate Southwest's 50^th Anniversary.

"As we reflect on our 50^th Anniversary celebration, the one million Acts of Kindness challenge and the One Million Dollars of Thanks contest stand out as particularly memorable programs. They underscore the Heart of our Values for more than 50 years: kindness and following The Golden Rule—treating others as you would like to be treated," said Linda Rutherford, Executive Vice President People & Communications at Southwest Airlines. "We are inspired by the more than 2,500 organizations that entered the contest and shared their missions with us. We're grateful for the opportunity to support the selected organizations and the work they are doing in their communities to impact the lives of others."

The One Million Dollars of Thanks contest offered 501(c)(3) organizations an opportunity to enter to win 100 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards to spread kindness and fulfill their mission-driven work. The contest initially detailed that travel awards would be given to 50 nonprofit organizations in celebration of Southwest's 50^th Anniversary; however, 52 organizations earned the carrier's support by receiving perfect scores based on contest criteria. The total travel prize is 5,200 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards at a value of more than $1 million.

Southwest launched the one million Acts of Kindness challenge in January 2021 to kick off a yearlong celebration of the airline's 50^th Anniversary of its first flight, celebrating half a century of connecting People and championing communities. Participants engaged in the challenge by signing the airline's Kindness Pledge and committing to complete Acts of Kindness for others. Each signature to the Kindness Pledge and Act of Kindness shared on social media using the hashtag #HeartinAction counted toward achieving the one million Acts of Kindness goal.

The organizations selected to win the travel awards include:

Armed Services YMCA of Honolulu (YMCA of Honolulu), Honolulu
Arnold Air Society, Silver Wings and Angel Flight Educational Fund, Sacramento, Calif.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County, Oak Harbor, Wash.
Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Baltimore
Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Chi Alpha at The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
Children's Flight of Hope, Raleigh, N.C.
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Inc., Norfolk, Va.
Colorado Orthodontic Foundation, Denver
Connecting Point of Park Cities, Dallas
Cornerstone Foundation, Inc., Hartford, Conn.
Diversity Center (Santa Cruz Lesbian & Gay Community Center), Santa Cruz, Calif.
Ed Reed Foundation (Players Philanthropy Fund), Baltimore
Florida Literacy Coalition, Orlando, Fla.
Friends Foundation (Friends of Emmaus), Marthasville, Mo.
Friends of Madison County Child Advocacy Center, St. Louis
Give Kids The World Village, Orlando, Fla.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., Williston, Fla.
HELP of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Oakland, Calif.
Healing Odyssey, Inc., Lake Forest, Calif.
HealthRIGHT 360, San Francisco
Hearts for Homes, Dallas
Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, Atlanta
LIFEDesigns, Inc., Bloomington, Ind.
Lincoln Hills Cares, Denver
Med Center Health Foundation (Commonwealth Health Foundation), Bowling Green, Ky.
Miracle Flights, Las Vegas
Mission Centers of Houston, Houston
Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada, Inc., Las Vegas
Open Door Sports Inc., Washington, D.C.
Patient Airlift Services, Farmingdale, N.Y.
Peralta Colleges Foundation, Oakland, Calif.
Port Aransas Education Foundation, Port Aransas, Texas
Road Trip Home Animal Rescue, Inc., Atlanta
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, Louisville, Ky.
Seeing Higher, Durham, N.C.
Share the Care, Inc., Orlando, Fla.
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, Grass Valley, Calif.
SpoofDawg to the Rescue Inc., Orange County, Calif.
Success 1^st, Mantua, N.J.
Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), San Diego
The HUGS Foundation, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
The Russell Home for Atypical Children, Orlando, Fla.
The WunderGlo Foundation, Los Angeles
Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), Tucson, Ariz.
United in Autism (DBA Labeled & Loved), Dallas
Victory Therapy Center, Dallas
Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc., Tampa, Fla.
Whidbey Animals' Improvement Foundation (WAIF), Coupeville, Wash.
Young Hearts Foundation, Fairfax, Va.

In the coming weeks, Southwest will feature some of these organizations and the work they do in a video series on the carrier's official channels. For more information about the kindness challenge, Southwest's 50^th Anniversary, and these organizations visit Southwest50.com/actsofkindness.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 51^st year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by nearly 54,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both on Feb. 14; Savannah/Hilton Head and Colorado Springs both on March 11; Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. both on April 12; Fresno, Calif. on April 25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May 6; Myrtle Beach, S.C. on May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on May 27; Jackson, Miss. on June 6; Eugene, Ore. on Aug. 29 and Bellingham, Wash. on Nov. 7. The carrier will begin service to Syracuse on Nov. 14.  

The carrier issued its Southwest^® Promise in May 2020 to highlight new and round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest Promise are available at Southwest.com/Promise.     

Southwest coined Transfarency^® to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free^® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare differences might apply.   

Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives back to communities across the world by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.   

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA^®.   

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.