Make a Wish Tri-Counties 2014 Wishes in Flight Campaign Launches in Ventura County

GREAT update! Wish Kid Ambassador Hazel and family recently received word that she is now cancer free! Congratulations! More at www.ourlittlehazelnut.blogspot.com. Hazel continues to be the Wish Kid Ambassador as Make a Wish Tri-Counties seeks to achieve its goal of one million donated airline miles in 2014. They are currently (as of 5/5/14) at 39% of this goal. 28 of 73 current wishes in process involve air travel. Donate at tri-counties.wish.org/ways-to-help/giving/airline-miles.

Originally posted in February 2014:

3-year-old Hazel, with stage 3 Neuroblastoma, and wishes to go to Disney World, is the official Wish Kid Ambassador for the Make a Wish Tri-Counties 2014 Wishes in Flight campaign, with a goal of one million donated miles.

When the volunteer Wish Granters came to Hazel’s house in Simi Valley to learn about her wish, Hazel’s parents asked how they could help make wishes come true for other kids, particularly, how they could help collect frequent flyer miles. Chapter CEO Shanna Wason Taylor reached out to Hazel’s mom, Lauren, and the 2014 Wishes in Flight Campaign was born.

Many wishes like Hazel’s come true with help from frequent fliers. Their donations of air miles are essential to getting wish kids to their destinations. The Wishes in FlightSM miles donation program is easy – and the miles never expire once donated.

63 percent of the wishes granted locally by Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties, which serves Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, include air travel for families to reach their wish destinations.

Locally, 8 million donated airline miles are needed to provide wish travel for wish kids and their families each year, whether it’s to meet a celebrity, go to their favorite theme park or reconnect with a close friend who moved away.

Less than 2 million are donated each year, making airline tickets the most avoidable but significant expense for the local chapter. Currently the local Make-A-Wish chapter has depleted their donated airline miles bank, and is paying rack rate for all tickets purchased.

Donating unused airline miles is an easy way for supporters to help grant wishes like Hazel’s and give them an experience that improves the quality of life for them and their families.

To donate Delta, US Airways, Continental, United or JetBlue frequent flyer miles to Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties, go to tri-counties.wish.org/ways-to-help/giving/airline-miles or call 805-676-9474 x4. It is extremely easy to do. Just have your frequent flyer account number on hand.

Learn more about Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties at tri-counties.wish.org.

ABOUT HAZEL: Hazel was diagnosed in April 2013 with High Risk, Stage 3 Neuroblastoma. She was referred to Make-A-Wish in August. To learn more about Hazel visit www.ourlittlehazelnut.blogspot.com.