Getting the warm fuzzies with Air Canada

The Air Canada team got up close and cuddly this morning as part of a team-building activity for the Starlight Children's Foundation in Canada.

While the wars of Black Friday waged nearby, the Air Canada offices got a head-start on the holiday spirit, gift wrapping bears intended for sale to the public - the proceeds of which will go toward funding activities and support for Canadian children with serious illnesses, and their families.

“We were trying to think of an activity we could do with our team for the holidays this year,” said Virgilio Russi, senior director of sales Canada for Air Canada. “We decided that the last thing we need is another day of eating too much and drinking too much, so we decided to do something different, something more ‘in the holiday spirit’. We approached the Air Canada Foundation and they suggested we work with one of their partners.”

The Air Canada Foundation supports charities with a dedication toward the health and wellness of children and youth, and has been a partner of the Children’s Starlight Foundation for many years, often providing the organization with free flights for their Great Escapes program, which allows families to travel together while still receiving the medical support they need; a requirement that makes regular travel difficult.

The Children’s Starlight Foundation in Canada currently partners with more than 150 hospitals in Canada, with 2000 children registered in their programs. According to Trevor Dicaire, senior vice-president of development, in its 23 years of operation, the foundation has touched the lives of approximately 200,000 hospitalized children in Canada.

The bears will be on sale to the public in the lobby of the Air Canada offices at 2 Queen St, East, Toronto on Dec 1.

PHOTO:  Trevor Dicaire, senior vice-president of development, the Children’s Starlight Foundation in Canada; Duncan Bureau, vice-president of global sales, Air Canada; Mary Ann Stojkiewicz, sales, Canada, Air Canada & Virgilio Russi, senior director of sales Canada, Air Canada