Passenger donations at Aberdeen International Airport in Scotland have raised more than £3,000 (US$3,668) for two charities.
Contributions were collected through the three collection globes positioned across the airport in which passengers deposited leftover currency. Money raised through the globes will be donated to charity partners Kayleigh’s Wee Stars and We Too!
The total amount collected came from dozens of global currencies including Croatian kunas, Turkish lira, Polish zloty, Singaporean dollars, South African rands and Israeli new shekel. The globes also collected donations in pre-Euro currencies including Irish punts and German Deutsche marks.
Mark Beveridge, operations director at Aberdeen International Airport, said, “On behalf of the airport, I want to thank all of our passengers for their generosity through our collection globes. We are thrilled £3,111 (US$3,805) was raised and know how vital the funding is to our charity partners. If you are traveling through the airport and have leftover currency, we know a donation will be gratefully received.”
Phionna McInnes, chief executive of We Too!, said, “The money raised will continue our work of empowering parents and carers of children with additional support needs. We want to thank every traveler who donated big and small last year as this makes a huge difference for our families. We are delighted to also be carrying on our work with Aberdeen International Airport in 2023 and thank their staff for all the support so far.”
Fiona Heinonen, CEO of Kayleigh’s Wee Stars, said, “Through our partnership with Aberdeen International Airport we have already been part of huge events like the Aberdeen Runway Run. Passengers who have donated to the collection globes will help us provide support to families where there is a child with a terminal illness. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity.”
A staff vote at the airport led to Kayleigh’s Wee Stars and We Too! being selected after the charities submitted a joint bid last year. Kayleigh’s Wee Stars provides financial grants to support families with a child with a terminal illness. Many families face increasing costs and unpaid time off work when caring for a terminally ill child.
We Too! is a customer-driven organization empowering families of children with life-long, predominately hidden disabilities, such as autism, ADHD, Tourette’s and epilepsy by providing a free, quarterly ‘What’s On’ guide for families, peer support, a monthly children’s club and a school holiday program as well as bespoke training to other organizations to help them host relaxed/sensory-adapted sessions in the community.