Southwest Donates Over $1 Million in Travel Awards To Nonprofits

For its 50th Anniversary, Southwest Airlines launched the One Million Acts of Kindness contest in January 2021 to support and uplift those who help make the world a better place, one small act at a time. To celebrate having now achieved its goal of inspiring 1 million caring acts in the community, the airline has just chosen 52 charitable, nonprofit organizations to receive a combined gift of One Million Dollars of Thanks.

To kick off its year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of its very first flight, Southwest created the One Million Dollars of Thanks contest, which invited to enter to win 100 domestic, one-way travel awards. It initially specified that 50 nonprofits would be selected to receive flight donations, but 52 organizations ultimately achieved perfect scores based on the contest criteria. So, altogether, Southwest has given away 5,200 domestic, one-way travel awards, valued at more than $1 million.

Over 2,500 charitable groups submitted their entries this year and participated in the challenge by signing the airline's Kindness Pledge, thereby committing to complete acts of kindness for others. To date, 4,383 organizations have signed the Kindness Pledge. Participants helped reach the One Million Acts of Kindness goal when they shared an act of kindness on social media using the hashtag #HeartinAction.

The winning organizations have each been awarded given 100 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards to support their mission-driven work, and to continue spreading the values of kindness and generosity in the communities they serve. In the coming weeks, Southwest will feature some of these organizations and the work they do in a video series, to air on the carrier's official channels.

Here are the winning 501(c)(3)s:

1. Armed Services YMCA of Honolulu (YMCA of Honolulu), Honolulu
2. Arnold Air Society, Silver Wings and Angel Flight Educational Fund, Sacramento, California
3. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County, Oak Harbor, Washington
4. Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Baltimore, Maryland
5. Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, California
6. Chi Alpha at The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
7. Children's Flight of Hope, Raleigh, North Carolina
8. Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia
9. Colorado Orthodontic Foundation, Denver, Colorado
10. Connecting Point of Park Cities, Dallas, Texas
11. Cornerstone Foundation, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut
12. Diversity Center (Santa Cruz Lesbian & Gay Community Center), Santa Cruz, California
13. Ed Reed Foundation (Players Philanthropy Fund), Baltimore, Maryland
14. Florida Literacy Coalition, Orlando, Florida
15. Friends Foundation (Friends of Emmaus), Marthasville, Missouri
16. Friends of Madison County Child Advocacy Center, St. Louis, Missouri
17. Give Kids The World Village, Orlando, Florida
18. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., Williston, Florida
19. HELP of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
20. Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Oakland, California
21. Healing Odyssey, Inc., Lake Forest, California
22. HealthRIGHT 360, San Francisco, California
23. Hearts for Homes, Dallas, Texas
24. Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia
25. LIFEDesigns, Inc., Bloomington, Indiana
26. Lincoln Hills Cares, Denver, Colorado
27. Med Center Health Foundation (Commonwealth Health Foundation), Bowling Green, Kentucky
28. Miracle Flights, Las Vegas, Nevada
29. Mission Centers of Houston, Houston, Texas
30. Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada
31. Open Door Sports Inc., Washington, D.C.
32. Patient Airlift Services, Farmingdale, New York
33. Peralta Colleges Foundation, Oakland, California
34. Port Aransas Education Foundation, Port Aransas, Texas
35. Road Trip Home Animal Rescue, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
36. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
37. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, Louisville, Kentucky
38. Seeing Higher, Durham, North Carolina
39. Share the Care, Inc., Orlando, Florida
40. Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, Grass Valley, California
41. SpoofDawg to the Rescue Inc., Orange County, California
42. Success 1st, Mantua, New Jersey
43. Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), San Diego, California
44. The HUGS Foundation, Inc., Rochester, New York
45. The Russell Home for Atypical Children, Orlando, Florida
46. The WunderGlo Foundation, Los Angeles, California
47. Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), Tucson, Arizona
48. United in Autism (DBA Labeled & Loved), Dallas, Texas
49. Victory Therapy Center, Dallas, Texas
50. Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc., Tampa, Florida
51. Whidbey Animals' Improvement Foundation (WAIF), Coupeville, Washington
52. Young Hearts Foundation, Fairfax, Virginia

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