Thursday you can help kids with Make-A-Wish South Dakota go on a trip of a lifetime by donating your frequent flyer miles.
The goal of Wishes in Flight this year is to raise 2.5 million frequent flier miles to send kids on the trip of a lifetime. Organizers say there are more than 60 children in the wish process throughout South Dakota and new referrals are made almost every week. If your miles are expiring, donate them to Make-A-Wish. Once transferred, they will not expire. 65% of South Dakota wishes are travel-related. Make-A-Wish takes care of everything on a travel wish and they send the whole immediate family. It takes 30,000 - 40,000 miles per person, so a family of four will need 120,000 to 160,000 miles.
Last year was the first year for Wishes in Flight. More than 2.3 million miles were donated, saving Make-A-Wish South Dakota more than $30,000 in airfare. Three airlines are participating in Wishes in Flight; Delta Air Lines 1,000-mile minimum, United Airlines 500-mile minimum, US Airways 1,000-mile minimum.
When you call in to pledge on Thursday you will need:
· Airline & your account number
· Name & address on the account, email address, and phone number
· Number of miles you are donating (you must have a specific #)
You can call 800.640.9198 any time throughout the day from anywhere in the viewing area. You can also donate online at southdakota.wish.org. There is a link on the left side of your screen.
Make-A-Wish South Dakota grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. They work to try to make every eligible child's wish come true. Organizers say these trips bring hope to families when they need it most. They say it also allows these children to feel like kids again.
To qualify, children have to be between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 with a life-threatening medical condition. For more than 29 years, Make-A-Wish South Dakota has granted 1,000 wishes to children across the state. Make-A-Wish South Dakota granted a record 74 wishes last year. The average cost of each wish is nearly $7,000.
Miles are not tax-deductible. The IRS recognizes miles as a gift or award from the corporation to the individual, so they are not considered tax deductible. It will take 30-45 days for miles to transfer from your account to Make-A-Wish.
Click here to donate online
