Community Involvement of Delta Airlines
Delta Airlines started as an aerial crop dusting operation in 1924 and has now grown into one of the world’s largest global airlines, helping over 160 million people get to different places they want to go each year. (Delta Airlines, 2017). Not only are they helping travelers get to where they want to go but also have been giving back to their community for over 80 years. Delta believes in supporting the community across six pillars that include advancing education, promoting arts and culture, global health and wellness, armed forces and veterans, advancing global diversity, and sustaining the environment. They are continuously giving back to the communities where we all live, work, and serve.
Advancing education is essential to help out the younger generations so they can be better than the previous ones. Delta has partnered up with different organizations such as Junior Achievement USA, KaBOOM! and YMCA to achieve just that. In Buenos Aires, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York, high school students have spent time shadowing Delta employees in partner with Junior Achievement USA to learn what it takes to succeed in the business world. They have partnered with the non-profit KaBOOM! to construct playgrounds in one day to provide the gift of play to thousands of children across the United States. Delta has also partnered with the YMCA and helped them campaign in order to teach thousands of young people how to swim and give them after-school tutoring sessions.
Promoting arts and culture helps spread information, enlighten, and inspire people. Delta is the official airline partner to the Detroit Institute of Arts’ major fundraisers, Fash Bash and annual Gala. These fundraisers are about making art accessible to people from diverse cultures and walks of life. Delta’s support has allowed over 700,000 visitors per year to find their personal meaning in art. A similar goal, unleashing the power of music, bringing people together and lifting the human spirit, is demonstrated by the Seattle Symphony’s Masterworks series that Delta is the presenting sponsor for. Delta acts as the official airline sponsor for the Woodruff Arts Center, as well. In 2016, The Delta Air Lines Foundation pledged $2.5 million, and helped the orchestra reach a $25 million goal to permanently secure 11 musician positions.
Delta has been supporting organizations to improve global health and wellness. They have raised more than $2 million for the American Cancer Society each year for the past 15 years. They hold annual events such as Delta Day of Hope, where employees from around the world honor cancer survivors, loved ones that have passed and fight back against the disease. Delta have also partnered with American Red Cross for 75 years and is currently one of the top corporate donors of blood. In 2016, Delta employees donated 8,132 pints of blood, saving thousands of lives. Habitat for Humanity is another organization they work with in order to build homes internationally to offer those deserving families safe, decent and affordable homes. Through April 2017, Delta has built 241 homes so far.
Delta Airlines also supports the armed forces and veterans by partnering up with organizations such as the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, Luke’s Wings and Marine Toys for Tots. Delta honors the legacy of the Medal of Honor recipients by providing each of them with their highest SkyMiles status and providing funding for educational programs of the foundation. Also, customers through Delta’s SkyWish Program can donate miles to Luke’s Wings. This provides airline tickets to wounded veterans and their families, as well as final flights to unite families to their loved ones that are veterans in hospice care. Additionally, the Marine Toys for Tots campaign and Delta work together to donate thousands of toys and bikes to less fortunate children throughout the United States.
Advancing global diversity is about helping everyone embrace each others differences. Delta has partnered with Japan Society by participating in the Junior Fellow Leadership program. This provides a special travel rate for the Fellows, who travel to Japan for a cultural learning and leadership experience every July. Delta has celebrated PRIDE month every June and has nine festivals across the United States and Canada in 2016 that support the LGBT group. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and Delta supports GLAAD, which is their media advocacy organization.
Delta’s employees are also committed to sustaining the environment. They have built 8 homes for the Habitat for Humanity organization by using funds generated by the onboard recycling initiatives on their planes. Delta supports the Conservancy’s national Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program. They want to grow a new generation of conservation leaders and want to make an impact on youth by giving them the knowledge they need to have a possible career, have self-confidence, develop work skills and build conservation literacy. Delta has a carbon-offset program that means they purchase offsets in different countries that they serve. For Instance, in Peru their purchases include investments in more efficient cooking stoves for families in rural areas that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and have a positive effect on the respiratory health of women and children.
Delta has proved to help different communities all around the world, not only in the United States. These six pillars make for a well-rounded company that wants to help in all different problem areas not only in the ones that benefit them. The six pillars consist of advancing education, promoting arts and culture, global health and wellness, armed forces and veterans, advancing global diversity and sustaining the environment. If each corporation took the time to support all these different matter, we would make that more of a difference.