Allegiant Air brings excitement to Make-A-Wish kids

Allegiant Air (Las Vegas) in support of the Make-A-Wish charity has issued this statement and video:

Allegiant Air is helping Make-A-Wish® grant wishes by providing travel for 33 wish kids this holiday season — kids like 5-year old Jaylen, who was diagnosed with leukemia and wished to go to the Florida theme parks. The travel company, which provides air travel and send-off celebrations for Make-A-Wish kids, has flown over 150 wish kids like Jaylen to their wish destinations in 2014 alone. To expand its efforts to help grant wishes, the company will also be matching dollar for dollar employee donations, up to $5,000, from now until Jan. 31, 2015.

Jaylen’s Make-A-Wish experience with Allegiant began with a warm welcome at the airport. Jaylen and his family were greeted by Allegiant employees at the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill. and treated to a special send-off celebration. Jaylen’s wish experience can be viewed above.

Over 70 percent of wishes require air travel. Since May 2012, Allegiant has donated travel to over 250 wish kids and their families and over $250,000 in cash sponsorships.

Since May 2012, Allegiant has been a proud supporter of Make-A-Wish®, a nationwide charity that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Wishes can often have a transformative impact on wish kids, providing the positive mental and emotional boost needed to help them deal with and, oftentimes, overcome their illness.

By establishing Make-A-Wish as its primary charity, Allegiant provides wish travel to families in the communities it serves. We’re committed to provide air travel for wish families – the organization’s most critical resource – for another six years. Since beginning its support of Make-A-Wish, Allegiant has donated over 250 wish flights to wish families and more than $250,000 in cash sponsorships.

Flights donated: 257
Wish passengers flown: 926
Dollars donated: $251,707
Make-A-Wish airplane livery: 1 (below)
Smiles: countless

Allegiant aircraft slide show: