TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thanks in part to the generosity of Sunwing customers, the Sunwing Foundation has made a donation of $20,716 to GlobalMedic; a Canadian international disaster relief charity. Sunwing matched the funds raised through the airline’s spare change program over a 6-week period. The money will be used by GlobalMedic to provide ongoing aid to areas of the Caribbean most impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
President & CEO of Sunwing Travel Group, Stephen Hunter, explained the synergy in partnering with GlobalMedic. “As Sunwing sends aircraft into destinations to re-patriate its own customers (and often other Canadians), GlobalMedic then uses these outbound flights to transport much needed emergency aid and first response crews.” Hunter added “GlobalMedic has an established track record of being the first on the scene to provide vital aid and we had no hesitation in facilitating this donation for them. We would also like to express our gratitude to our passengers for their generosity.”
As the charitable initiative of the Sunwing Travel Group, the Foundation supports charities by passing on 100% of all donations raised through its spare change program on Sunwing Airlines along with matching funds with a donation of its own, taking no administrative fees.
Rahul Singh, Executive Director of GlobalMedic, welcomed the news. “We appreciate the continued support of Sunwing, along with the generous spirit of its employees who actively participated in packing events to support hurricane victims.”
On September 9th and 10th, Sunwing Airlines was the first commercial carrier to arrive in St Maarten, bringing with them GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team members along with water purification systems and hygiene supplies to help the thousands affected by the hurricanes. The airline also sent two consignments, one from Toronto and the other from Montreal, carrying water purification tablets and hygiene kits into Cuba the following week. Then on September 15th, an additional Rapid Response Team was flown to Antigua on a special humanitarian flight with a large consignment of aid, tools and construction materials destined for Barbuda.
About Sunwing Foundation
A charitable initiative established by the Hunter family, the Sunwing Foundation reflects the Sunwing Travel Group’s enduring commitment to the support and development of youth in the communities where it operates in the form of project funding or the transport of humanitarian aid. The Sunwing Foundation takes no administration fees and matches on 100% of the charitable donations it raises through the airline’s spare change program to the communities that need it the most, funding educational and skills development projects to provide a direct, impactful, and sustainable improvement to quality of life for years to come. Since its inception in 2015, the Sunwing Foundation has provided assistance to a number of community projects, most notably wholly funding the construction of the Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution in Trelawny, Jamaica.
About Sunwing Travel Group
The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing Travel Group is comprised of Sunwing Vacations and Signature Vacations, two of the leading leisure tour operators in Canada; Sunwing Airlines, Canada's premier leisure airline; SunwingJets, a luxury private jet charter service and Vacation Express, a growing tour operator in the United States together with the Group’s own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Blue Diamond Resorts is the Group’s hotel management company, an innovative organization that operates popular resort brands including Royalton Luxury Resorts, Memories Resorts & Spa and Starfish Hotels & Resorts across the Caribbean and Mexico; while NexusTours is a full-service destination management company offering affordably priced and reliable ground transportation, popular tours and excursions, as well as other travel management services.
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Rachel Goldrick
Senior Corporate Communications Manager
Sunwing Vacations
1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca