Southwest Airlines logo. (PRNewsFoto/SOUTHWEST AIRLINES)
<p><b>Southwest Airlines </b>has selected 52 nonprofit organizations that will each receive 100 domestic one-way Southwest travel awards to help spread kindness and support their missions. The winning organizations were chosen as part of a contest the carrier launched in September after achieving one million Acts of Kindness in 2021, a goal set to celebrate Southwest&#8217;s 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we reflect on our 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary celebration, the one million Acts of Kindness challenge and the <span class="xn-money">One Million Dollars</span> of Thanks contest stand out as particularly memorable programs. They underscore the Heart of our Values for more than 50 years: kindness and following The Golden Rule—treating others as you would like to be treated,&#8221; said <span class="xn-person">Linda Rutherford</span>, Executive Vice President People &; Communications at Southwest Airlines. &#8220;We are inspired by the more than 2,500 organizations that entered the contest and shared their missions with us. We&#8217;re grateful for the opportunity to support the selected organizations and the work they are doing in their communities to impact the lives of others.&#8221;</p>
<p>The <span class="xn-money">One Million Dollars</span> of Thanks contest offered 501(c)(3) organizations an opportunity to enter to win 100 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards to spread kindness and fulfill their mission-driven work. The contest initially detailed that travel awards would be given to 50 nonprofit organizations in celebration of Southwest&#8217;s 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary; however, 52 organizations earned the carrier&#8217;s support by receiving perfect scores based on contest criteria. The total travel prize is 5,200 domestic, one-way Southwest travel awards at a value of more than $1 million.</p>
<p>Southwest launched the one million Acts of Kindness challenge in <span class="xn-chron">January 2021</span> to kick off a yearlong celebration of the airline&#8217;s 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary of its first flight, celebrating half a century of connecting People and championing communities. Participants engaged in the challenge by signing <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&;l=en&;o=3357492-1&;h=752782825&;u=https%3A%2F%2Fsouthwest50.com%2Factsofkindness&;a=the+airline%27s+Kindness+Pledge" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">the airline&#8217;s Kindness Pledge</a> and committing to complete Acts of Kindness for others. Each signature to the Kindness Pledge and Act of Kindness shared on social media using the hashtag #HeartinAction counted toward achieving the one million Acts of Kindness goal.</p>
<p>The organizations selected to win the travel awards include:</p>
<ol type="1">
<li>Armed Services YMCA of <span class="xn-location">Honolulu</span> (YMCA of <span class="xn-location">Honolulu</span>), <span class="xn-location">Honolulu</span></li>
<li>Arnold Air Society, Silver Wings and Angel Flight Educational Fund, <span class="xn-location">Sacramento, Calif.</span></li>
<li>Big Brothers Big Sisters of <span class="xn-location">Island County</span>, <span class="xn-location">Oak Harbor, Wash.</span></li>
<li><span class="xn-person">Cal Ripken, Sr.</span> Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Baltimore</span></li>
<li>Canine Companions for <span class="xn-location">Independence</span>, <span class="xn-location">Santa Rosa, Calif.</span></li>
<li><span class="xn-person">Chi Alpha</span> at The <span class="xn-org">University of Virginia</span>, <span class="xn-location">Charlottesville, Va.</span></li>
<li>Children&#8217;s Flight of Hope, <span class="xn-location">Raleigh, N.C.</span></li>
<li>Children&#8217;s Hospital of The King&#8217;s Daughters, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Norfolk, Va.</span></li>
<li>Colorado Orthodontic Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Denver</span></li>
<li>Connecting <span class="xn-location">Point</span> of Park Cities, <span class="xn-location">Dallas</span></li>
<li>Cornerstone Foundation, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Hartford, Conn.</span></li>
<li>Diversity Center (Santa Cruz Lesbian &; Gay Community Center), <span class="xn-location">Santa Cruz, Calif.</span></li>
<li>Ed Reed Foundation (Players Philanthropy Fund), <span class="xn-location">Baltimore</span></li>
<li>Florida Literacy Coalition, <span class="xn-location">Orlando, Fla.</span></li>
<li>Friends Foundation (Friends of Emmaus), <span class="xn-location">Marthasville, Mo.</span></li>
<li>Friends of Madison County Child Advocacy Center, <span class="xn-location">St. Louis</span></li>
<li>Give Kids The World Village, <span class="xn-location">Orlando, Fla.</span></li>
<li>Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Williston, Fla.</span></li>
<li>HELP of <span class="xn-location">Southern Nevada</span>, <span class="xn-location">Las Vegas</span></li>
<li>Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, <span class="xn-location">Oakland, Calif.</span></li>
<li>Healing Odyssey, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Lake Forest, Calif.</span></li>
<li>HealthRIGHT 360, <span class="xn-location">San Francisco</span></li>
<li>Hearts for Homes, <span class="xn-location">Dallas</span></li>
<li>Jack &; Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Atlanta</span></li>
<li>LIFEDesigns, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Bloomington, Ind.</span></li>
<li>Lincoln Hills Cares, <span class="xn-location">Denver</span></li>
<li>Med Center Health Foundation (Commonwealth Health Foundation), <span class="xn-location">Bowling Green, Ky.</span></li>
<li>Miracle Flights, <span class="xn-location">Las Vegas</span></li>
<li>Mission Centers of Houston, Houston</li>
<li>Neighborhood Housing Services of <span class="xn-location">Southern Nevada</span>, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Las Vegas</span></li>
<li>Open Door Sports Inc., <span class="xn-location">Washington, D.C.</span></li>
<li>Patient Airlift Services, <span class="xn-location">Farmingdale, N.Y.</span></li>
<li>Peralta Colleges Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Oakland, Calif.</span></li>
<li>Port Aransas Education Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Port Aransas, Texas</span></li>
<li>Road Trip Home Animal Rescue, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Atlanta</span></li>
<li>Ronald McDonald House Charities of <span class="xn-location">Greater Las Vegas</span>, <span class="xn-location">Las Vegas</span></li>
<li>Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, <span class="xn-location">Louisville, Ky.</span></li>
<li>Seeing Higher, <span class="xn-location">Durham, N.C.</span></li>
<li>Share the Care, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Orlando, Fla.</span></li>
<li>Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Grass Valley, Calif.</span></li>
<li>SpoofDawg to the Rescue Inc., <span class="xn-location">Orange County, Calif.</span></li>
<li>Success 1<sup>st</sup>, <span class="xn-location">Mantua, N.J.</span></li>
<li>Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), <span class="xn-location">San Diego</span></li>
<li>The HUGS Foundation, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Rochester, N.Y.</span></li>
<li>The Russell Home for Atypical Children, <span class="xn-location">Orlando, Fla.</span></li>
<li>The WunderGlo Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Los Angeles</span></li>
<li>Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), <span class="xn-location">Tucson, Ariz.</span></li>
<li>United in Autism (DBA Labeled &; Loved), <span class="xn-location">Dallas</span></li>
<li>Victory Therapy Center, <span class="xn-location">Dallas</span></li>
<li>Wheelchairs 4 Kids, Inc., <span class="xn-location">Tampa, Fla.</span></li>
<li>Whidbey Animals&#8217; Improvement Foundation (WAIF), <span class="xn-location">Coupeville, Wash.</span></li>
<li>Young Hearts Foundation, <span class="xn-location">Fairfax, Va.</span></li>
</ol>
<p>In the coming weeks, Southwest will feature some of these organizations and the work they do in a video series on the carrier&#8217;s official channels.</p>

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