Donate Aeroplan points to charity

By Associated Press, with files from 24 Hours
CANOE Travel

Frequent flyers who would like to help others can now donate their surplus Aeroplan points to six charities.

Aeroplan has anounced the launch of its "Beyond Miles" program, which expands its current point donation program.

The charities to benefit are: The Canadian Executive Service Organization; Engineers Without Borders Canada; Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders); Schools Without Borders; The Stephen Lewis Foundation and Veterinarians Without Borders. Points can also benefit Air Canada Kids' Horizons.

True partnership

"It has been really a true partnership," says George Roter, EWB's co-CEO. "We have volunteers across Canada donating their time. Aeroplan has enabled its members around the world to donate their miles."

Aeroplan will also allow its employees to donate eight hours a year of work time to the selected charities.

At least two of the groups, Doctors Without Borders and Engineers Without Borders, involve professionals who also donate their time to help developing countries.

Last November, for example, UBC engineering students were given a plane ticket and $30,000 to send them overseas to help poor communities.

The money, donated by Vancouver's Amec engineering, will send students to developing communities over the next five years through Engineers Without Borders.

"The whole point is to fund young engineers to travel overseas and work on projects that will make life better for people just a bit less fortunate than us," said Amec vice-president Bob Stanlake.

Third-year student Danny Higginson went to Tanzania in 2004, where he helped set up irrigation technologies that let local farmers double their harvests and said all the people need are a hand.

"The people in Tanzania are impoverished not for their lack of ingenuity," he said. "What they need is a little help from people like us."