Throughout 2021, we have had so much fun commemorating Southwest Airlines’ 50th Anniversary! We have celebrated in many ways, including announcing The Birthday Party Project as the official community partner of our 50th Anniversary. We were honored to help The Birthday Party Project and their 60 agency partners work toward their mission of bringing joy to children experiencing homelessness through the magic of birthday celebrations.
The year began with a $50,000 grant to The Birthday Party Project from the Southwest Airlines Foundation, a corporate-advised fund within the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The donation was used to expand their reach by supporting growth to new markets and partnerships with new agencies. The donation was followed by an opportunity for Employees around the system to write birthday cards for The Birthday Party Project to send out. Nearly 2,000 birthday cards were written to share birthday wishes with children all year long!
In honor of Southwest’s birthday month, we hosted a toy drive during the month of June. Employees from more than 50 Southwest locations collected toys to share with The Birthday Party Project. More than 2,000 gifts were donated, totaling a value of more than $50,000. There is no doubt the generosity of our Employees made a tremendous impact on the children! Our Senior Management Committee even volunteered to stuff 700 Parties in a Bag. Many fun gifts were added to the bags to share with kids unable to attend a birthday party in person.
In August, we teamed up with Interfaith Dallas, Tiff's Treats, and Southwest the Store to throw a party for nearly 50 kids in the Dallas area. These deserving children enjoyed bowling, games, crafts, and Tiff Treat’s together during an epic celebration. As the kids departed the event, we provided each one with a backpack full of school supplies for the upcoming school year.
To wrap up our year-long partnership with The Birthday Party Project, we invited their partner agencies to pick out three yard games for use during future celebrations—such as giant tic-tac-toe, jumbo ring toss, Plinko boards, and more! The games will arrive later this month, and we know the children and their families will have lots of fun playing together.
This year has been a thrilling celebration with The Birthday Party Project. As the year wraps up, we encourage you to spread joy and kindness wherever you are!