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July 29, 2020 
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is a nonprofit that raises funds and awareness for children’s hospitals across North America. Since its inception in 1983, the organization has raised over $5 billion for its 170 member hospitals. Those donations help provide medical care for the 62 children who enter a CMN Hospital every minute. You can support this important work by donating your Delta SkyMiles.
The impact of the Children’s Miracle Network is profound. One in ten children in North America are treated by a CMN Hospital every year. That’s over 32 million patient visits by over 10 million kids during a 12-month period.
CMN Hospitals treat children for any medical need they might have. In a single day, member hospitals treat 16,200 kids with trauma, 2,128 kids with cancer and 935 kids with diabetes.
While CMN has nearly 100 corporate sponsors, most of its funds are raised from small donations through programs like the iconic Miracle Balloons campaigns at Walmart, Rite Aid, IHOP and other retailers, and the annual telethon, hosted by John Schneider and Marie Osmond.
The organization is focused on local needs. According to Heidi Shepherd, the Director of Public Relations at CMN, “Donations made in a community stay in that community to help local kids.” Donors know that they’re supporting hospitals and children in their area.
Donate Your Delta Miles
Delta has a close relationship with CMN. One way the airline supports the organization is by encouraging SkyMiles members to donate miles through the SkyWish program.
Over 2.1 million Delta miles were used in 2016 to get kids and their families to treatment centers across the country. All of those miles came from individual donations. You can help a sick children get to their next treatment by donating SkyMiles.
One of those kids is Brendan. He needs specialized back surgery twice a year from the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in Texas, but he and his parents, Tina and Brian, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Many of Brendan’s trips have been paid for with Delta miles that were donated by SkyMiles members.
The program has been invaluable to Brendan and his family. After Brendan went through his 29th surgery on November 2, 2016, his dad wrote to CMN Hospitals, saying: “Your organization and Delta have been a blessing beyond measure to us. We are so fortunate that you have been able to help us out and for the awesome folks at Delta that have personally helped us on our trips over the past several years.”
A Special Relationship With Delta
Delta has an unusually close relationship with CMN Hospitals. It’s more than just a corporate sponsorship. Delta and its employees have taken on CMN’s mission as their own personal cause, volunteering and sponsoring special events for the kids.
One of the big projects Delta participates in is the Children’s Miracle Network Champions program. The airline provides transportation to CMN’s Champions, who are kids that have gone through challenging medical treatments and have particularly remarkable and inspiring stories. Each state has its own Champion, and they serve as representatives for the millions of children who are treated at CMN Hospitals.
The Champions are flown to national gatherings, local events and other fundraising activities by Delta. Without the airline’s help, it would be very difficult to hold these important events highlighting CMN’s vital work.
The carrier also organizes a variety of other CMN-related events. Last year, 150 Delta employees volunteered to “fly” patients from CMN hospitals to the North Pole to visit Santa. The elaborate village and “flight” were organized in Delta’s Salt Lake City hanger and included many holiday activities for the children and their families.
Sometimes Delta arranges special receptions for kids who are traveling to or from treatments. Employees are quick to volunteer their time and support fundraisers, such as the annual Delta Golf Classic that supports the local CMN Hospital in Atlanta.
As Shepherd puts it, Delta and its employees have “truly gone above and beyond, over and over again.”
Every Mile Helps
Donations of any size are welcome. Whether it’s a dollar at a participating retailer or a 1,000 Delta miles online, those contributions make a difference. Help support kids when they need it most. Give them a chance to focus on overcoming their medical conditions instead of worrying about how they’re going to get to the right doctor. A few extra Delta miles can go a long way.