Disneyland flight for 230 children

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 26

Disneyland flight for 230 children

Two hundred and thirty handicapped and underprivileged New Zealand children will be sponsored on a return flight to Los Angeles, with 10 days at Disneyland and other attractions. in October. The trip is being organised by the cabin services division of Air New Zealand as its contribution to the International Year of the Child. The division has started a fund-raising campaign which will involve service organ- < isations. businesses, sports i clubs, social clubs, schools! and the general public in an effort to raise the $170,000. needed for fares and ex-1

penses. Children will be selected by special committees in I each region. They will include orphans, the deaf, partly sighted and physicallyi disabled children from in-1 situtions, who under normal) circumstances would never l

/! have the opportunity to 1 ■J travel. .' They will be accompanied! iby 20 qualified escorts, but) iimust be able to meet strin- > gent medical and fitness -tests and be capable of a reasonable amount of inde'jpendence. They will be selected on - the basis of their determina- ; tion, endeavour and achieveI ment demonstrated in coping • with their disabilities. Child- . ten’s organisations will be ; asked to submit nomini ations, from which the final selection will be made. , Of the 230 children, 30 . (will come from the Canter'bury area, including North, 1 ’Mid' and South Canterbury< (and 11 from the Westland, : (Nelson, Marlborough and <

ißuller areas. . The target for the Canter-1 I bury area is $25,000. This will be the first time that handicapped children .have been sponsored on an ■ I international flight from New (Zealand but the cabin seri vices division has arranged

i * seven previous flights around (the North and South Island, I since 1972. J Up to 40 wheelchair cases may be taken in the two flights, using scheduled services by Air New Zealand, whose cabin crews will give their lay-over time in Los Angeles to help look after the children. The Lions service organisation has adopted the project as its project of the year. Already cabin crew members have contributed about $3500, domestic air hostesses are planning a “Roman orgy” at Mona Vale on April 26 at $2O a head, and other organisations are organising fun runs, raffles and film evenings.

i Donations may be sent (directly to Mr D. Greenwood, Air New Zealand Cabin Services, P.O. Box 14008, Christchurch Airport. Cheques should be made out to “Air New’ Zealand International Year of the Child Project.”