World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action to advocate, generate awareness and raise funds for the most pressing issues facing children worldwide. This year, the need is greater than ever.
DFW-based flight attendant Beth Callahan knows that sometimes small actions can have the biggest impact. Beth is one of American’s first ‘Champions for Children’ who volunteer a portion of their time at work to participate in UNICEF’s Change for Good program. Champions collect monetary donations — often just spare change and bills — from customers onboard select international flights to provide life-saving assistance to the world’s poorest, most vulnerable children in more than 190 countries.
“Every penny counts, especially when you’re collecting on an airplane, and it’s amazing to see how generous our customers are. Even if you give only the change in your pocket, it adds up by the end of the flight. I truly believe in the power of collective donations because I’ve seen American’s contributions add up to more than $17 million over the past 26 years.”
Since 1994, American has been the participating U.S. airline in the UNICEF campaign, supporting projects and programs that improve children’s basic needs in communities throughout the world – which often includes emergency response. This year, the need is greater than ever as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic puts at-risk children and communities in greater need of resources like critical supplies, healthcare services, and education support.
“COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the lives of people around the world, especially children, and UNICEF USA won’t stop protecting the rights of every child, no matter the circumstances,” said Ava Volandes, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, UNICEF USA. “American Airlines is a long-standing partner, and with their support, UNICEF can help reach the world’s most vulnerable children with health care and immunizations, nutrition, education and emergency relief so they have what is needed to survive and thrive in life.”
Beth attended a field visit with UNICEF to Bolivia in 2015 to see firsthand the people and communities that benefit from the Change for Good program on American. She was struck by how badly these communities needed resources, but the experience inspired her to recruit more of her colleagues to join the program. “It was impactful to see that our collections can be traced directly to a specific place, and just how far the money goes in these communities to help the children and families who live there,” she said.
Although American has significantly reduced its flight schedule due to the impacts of the pandemic, customers and team members can still donate to the Change for Good program here. Already this year, American’s contributions to UNICEF provided pandemic relief to children and families in Latin America.
“One of the best parts about working for American is knowing the airline supports organizations like UNICEF. I’m proud to work for an airline that acknowledges our responsibility as a global carrier to give back to communities throughout the world,” Beth said.