New York's premier preparedness organization, the American Red Cross in Greater New York, and JetBlue Airways, one of the country's most innovative and popular airlines, have a special private-public partnership in which the air carrier has supported the Red Cross in various important ways during the past several years.

JetBlue Airways has revolutionized air travel and prides itself on its strong reputation for safety, customer service and innovative marketing. "As a company that calls New York home, we're proud to support the American Red Cross in Greater New York and their important work in training New Yorkers with vital preparedness skills," said Amy Curtis-McIntyre, vice president of sales and marketing for JetBlue Airways. "Caring is one of JetBlue's five core values."

Here are a few examples of our partnership:

JetBlue Airways generously donated two dozen round-trip travel certificates for use at volunteer recognition and fundraising events. A number of these were distributed to outstanding Red Cross volunteers and award recipients at our 2004 Volunteer Recognition Award Ceremony. "It was great to see the looks on the volunteers' faces when they realized that had just received a round-trip ticket on JetBlue. They were so excited," said Teresa Simmons, director of Volunteer Resources for the American Red Cross in Greater New York.

In June, JetBlue donated funds to offer relief to people affected by the floods in the Dominic Republic, where the International Red Cross has been helping thousands of families.

Last fall, JetBlue helped sponsor The Red Cross in Lower Manhattan: Together We Prepare, a three-day preparedness campaign helping some 200,000 people who live and work downtown be better prepared for any type of emergency. The event offered more than 30 public and private classes, including outdoor presentations in major parks. Two hundred volunteers distributed hundreds of thousands of brochures and preparedness materials at 20 key commuter points and subway locations. In addition to providing financial support for the campaign, JetBlue donated 10,000 water bottles for distribution to downtown residents and businesspeople. The response to JetBlue's support was overwhelmingly positive and many people eagerly sent their co-workers and friends to the Red Cross information tables to pick up their own JetBlue water bottle.

In March 2003, JetBlue flew "Jet Red" and served as the official sponsor of Red Cross Month. The company distributed 2,000 Red Cross Basic Aid Training Activity Books to children traveling from JFK to Florida, set up a display table in JFK airport where consumers obtained information about Red Cross services and printed information about the Red Cross and Red Cross month on all JetBlue boarding passes. The Red Cross also presented our Preparing for the Unexpected program to JetBlue employees. The class provides tips on how to create a communications plan and prepare a personal disaster supply kit, as well as other valuable information.

In addition, JetBlue has underwritten the American Red Cross in Greater New York's 2002 and 2003 Annual Reports.

"We're very thankful for JetBlue's continuous support for our volunteers, our training programs and our preparedness work," said Theresa Bischoff, CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. "We look forward to continuing our special partnership for many years."