Aeroplan offers easy ways for you to Change the World this season
That person you saw smiling as they drove past the mall parking lot frenzy this week? Probably me.
This is year number nine of my family’s decision to forego the commercial aspects of the gifting season in favour of focused family time.
Taking a break from the mall when things hit a fever pitch always feels like the ultimate gift to my sanity. Which in itself is a gift to my family when you think about it.
We don’t give up the tree, the holiday songs (Yup. Mariah Carey is on replay again) or the festive gatherings, just the hyper-spending, obligations and stress that the season can bring.
One way that we are like most holiday shoppers though, is when it comes to charity.
GIVING SEASON
While I try to give throughout the year, there’s something about the holiday season that always reminds me of how fortunate we really are and prompts me into doing a little extra.
Thankfully, that’s something that doesn’t require fighting for a parking space or elbowing my neighbour out of the way to get the latest toy craze.
This year, you too can skip the cray.
From December 2-8, Aeroplan is matching all miles up to 500K donated to the Air Canada Foundation. Through its Hospital Transportation Program, the Air Canada Foundation helps sick children reach medical treatment not available in their community allowing them to receive the best medical care possible.
That means that your donation is doubled. I’m not sure you’ll find better bang for your buck than donating miles to help sick children and their families survive.
WHY I DONATE
I’ve been an Aeroplan member for as long as I can remember. It’s one of those programs that has always made it easy to earn and easy to spend my miles. And while most of my miles go back into flight rewards, this is the time of year when I tend to share some through the donation program as well.
I love knowing that some amazing trip I took with my family, some moment that is still bringing me joy and earned me Aeroplan Miles, has the potential of helping families in Canada or around the world have a better life too.
Launched in 2006, the Aeroplan Member Donation Program benefits hundreds of Canadian not-for-profit organizations. That means that among the lives and communities that are enriched are some both here at home and around the world,
Among their charities are the Doctors Without Borders, Stephen Lewis Foundation, Miles 4 Migrants and Rainbow Railroad.
I love the variety of options for helping. It means that whatever issue is top of mind for you, there’s a way to help without worrying about finding cash in your wallet or depleting an already tight budget. To date, Aeroplan and its members have donated over 1.1 billion miles to Canadian charities that help improve lives and assist communities locally, across Canada and around the world.
How It Works :
Aeroplan Members can donate their miles online to the charities of their choice. Donated miles are accumulated in dedicated ‘charitable pooling accounts’ and used by non-profit organizations to offset air travel costs for volunteers or for families with medical or other emergency travel needs. Miles can also be used for hotel stays, car rentals, merchandise such as laptops and even raffles to help raise money. Aeroplan also offsets carbon emissions from flights taken by its core charitable partners using donated miles.
Ready to Donate?
Simply visit: aeroplan.com/donate. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the season knowing you’ve made a difference in the world.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Aeroplan. As always, all opinions are my own.
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