Sunwing Foundation lends a hand to GlobalMedic

The Sunwing Foundation has made a donation of $20,716 to GlobalMedic, a Canadian international disaster relief charity, thanks in part to the generosity of Sunwing customers.

The money will be used by GlobalMedic to provide ongoing aid to areas of the Caribbean most impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Sunwing matched the funds raised through the airline’s spare change program over a six-week period.

President & CEO of Sunwing Travel Group, Stephen Hunter, explained the synergy in partnering with GlobalMedic.

“As Sunwing sends aircraft into destinations to re-patriate its own customers (and often other Canadians), GlobalMedic then uses these outbound flights to transport much needed emergency aid and first response crews.”

Hunter added, “GlobalMedic has an established track record of being the first on the scene to provide vital aid and we had no hesitation in facilitating this donation for them. We would also like to express our gratitude to our passengers for their generosity.”

Rahul Singh, executive director of GlobalMedic, welcomed the news, stating “We appreciate the continued support of Sunwing, along with the generous spirit of its employees who actively participated in packing events to support hurricane victims,” he said.

As the charitable initiative of the Sunwing Travel Group, the Foundation supports charities by passing on 100 per cent of all donations raised through its spare change program on Sunwing Airlines along with matching funds with a donation of its own, taking no administrative fees.

On Sept. 9 and 10, Sunwing Airlines was the first commercial carrier to arrive in St Maarten, bringing with them GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team members along with water purification systems and hygiene supplies to help the thousands affected by the hurricanes. The airline also sent two consignments, one from Toronto and the other from Montreal, carrying water purification tablets and hygiene kits into Cuba the following week. On Sept. 15, an additional Rapid Response Team was flown to Antigua on a special humanitarian flight with a large consignment of aid, tools and construction materials destined for Barbuda.