MilesBuzz! - Donate those extra miles please

On Saturday, August 5, the Dallas Morning Newspaper reported that one son in a family of 5 was hospitalized a week earlier after feeling sick. He had been previously treated for cancer, and they thought it was in remission. His parents, poor and struggling, had raised all of his brothers/sisters but were never married. Upon admission to the hospital, doctors said he had 2 weeks to live. He asked his parents to get married so he could see the wedding, they did - at the childrens hospital. He died Sunday. For those of you who have extra miles, we would like to organize a trip for the remaining members of the family and are working with 2 organizations in Florida where they can spend a week, on a vacation/honeymoon, when they are ready. If you would care to donate any miles, Delta if possible, just let me know. When the arrangements are complete, we will be in contact with you. Thank you.

[This message has been edited by traveller115 (edited 08-09-2002).]

Just curious....... What is your relationship to all of this and with which organization can we verify the information?

Not to sound skeptical, insensitive or pessimistic, but it just seems odd that your FIRST post on FlyerTalk is a request for donations.

Also, I find it odd that when I originally replied to your post you claimed to be from Atlanta, but after typing my reply your location changed to Missouri!


[This message has been edited by FloridaFlyers (edited 08-08-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by traveller115:
On Saturday, August 10, the Dallas Morning Newspaper reported that one son in a family of 5 was hospitalized a week earlier after feeling sick. </font>

I wasn't aware that the Dallas Morning News printed its papers several days in advance.

Mike

Despite the obvious date error, this story did receive pretty major coverage in the Houston Chronicle also.

I have not read anything, however, about the effort to raise miles.

I am really suspicious that people are trying to jump on to this tragedy! As far as travel is concerned, plenty of money has been raised for this faimly. Some of which they may actually get.

While I will give you the benfit of a doubt and applaud your efforts, I prefer to donate my miles to Make A Wish:

http://www.makeawish.org/home/giving-shopping/frame_giving_airmiles.htm

The nice thing is that CO and AA have no minimum, so why not sweep those odd little balances clean!

(edited to fix link)

[This message has been edited by johnndor (edited 08-09-2002).]

www.angelflight.com (http://www.angelflight.com)

- A Pilot

[This message has been edited by Beef or Chicken? (edited 08-09-2002).]

This brings up a point, which I hope someone out there could clarify for me. I never understood why frequent fliers are asked to donate miles for charitable causes. Don't the airlines themselves have enough resources (not to mention a big tax write-off), if they THEMSELVES just offered free seats to those in need? Don't corporations do charitable acts of kindness? What better show of support than an airline offering free seats to cancer or transplant patients? What about to Red Cross workers? Surely, an airline can set aside a seat or two on several flights a day, as needed...

I know the airlines are in financial trouble, etc., but frequent flier awards don't bring in cash revenue either. Why have this whole runaround? Am I the only one out there for whom this whole "donate your miles" as opposed to charitable acts by airlines just doesn't make sense?

(I hope no one gets offended by my post. I am not ignorant, and have no intentions to sound rude.)

USAir allows donation of miles though the website with 5k minimum and 50% match. Actually I have no idea how to donate miles other than that method, except directly to someone else's FF # and only via full awards.

Thank you to those who responded via email, we have collected 25000 miles to date.

[This message has been edited by traveller115 (edited 08-11-2002).]

Boy, 9, dies with wish fulfilled
Cancer victim lived 2 days after seeing his parents' wedding

08/05/2002

By KENDALL ANDERSON / The Dallas Morning News

Juan Merlan Jr. – the 9-year-old boy almost completely paralyzed by a rare and fast-growing germ cell cancer – died just after 9 p.m. Sunday, two days after he watched his parents' wedding ceremony from a wheelchair at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

Juan's cancer returned this week despite numerous chemotherapy and radiation treatments in the last year. His conditioned worsened Friday, and he died at the hospital Sunday surrounded by family, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Family members could not immediately be reached for comment.


Also Online
How to help: Donations for Juan and Maria Merlan can be sent, in care of Ben Retta, to:
Children's Medical Center
Social Work Dept.
1935 Motor St.
Dallas, TX 75235.

Previous story: Boy with rare cancer watches parents marry at hospital

Video: Marriage grants boy's dying wish

His final wish was to see his parents married, which they did Friday at an emotional ceremony attended by family, friends and hospital workers at the hospital's chapel. The couple had met 15 years ago but never married.
Juan received a diagnosis of cancer about a year ago when doctors discovered a tumor in his chest. Chemotherapy seemed to send the disease into remission until March, when it returned and spread to his brain. More chemotherapy and radiation treatments put the disease back into remission until last weekend, doctors said.



Juan Merlan Jr.
Last weekend, Juan returned home from camp, saying his legs were weak. Tests revealed the cancer had surrounded his spinal cord, said Dr. Robert Bash, a pediatric oncologist. He was admitted to the hospital immediately and began losing feeling in his feet. By Wednesday, he couldn't move his hands. By week's end, he had difficulty chewing.

The family, with the help of hospital officials, also found a small Chihuahua named Diamond, which his brothers presented to him Thursday, hospital officials said. He played with Diamond about two hours a day in his room at the hospital's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, another of his final wishes.

Survivors include his parents, Maria and Juan Merlan Sr., and three brothers, Ricardo, 13, Edgar, 12, and Emilio, 8.

E-mail kanderson@dallasnews.com


[This message has been edited by traveller115 (edited 08-11-2002).]

For those in the US: does anyone know if the IRS has an official stance on donating miles to charity? What about free-flight certificates? I had always thought that the legality of doing this was questionable.

(I know intentions are good, but I also know the IRS seems to do everything it can to avoid answering the question "how much is 1 FF mile worth?".)

The donated miles have "no value" much as they do when you earn them and use them.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pinniped:
I had always thought that the legality of doing this was questionable.</font>

Perfectly legal to donate, and encouraged by the airlines. As stated above (and on the Make-A-Wish site) you should not claim a tax deduction for the donation.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pinniped:
I had always thought that the legality of doing this was questionable.

</font>

There is absolutly nothing wrong with donating anything that is yours, as the miles are. Taking a deduction for them is another matter, but it's certainly not illegal to donate them, indeed the airlines themselves have programs to donate the miles to charity.

As to why the airlines ask people to donate, it's the same thing as why a major company will put a canister out at their facilities for people to donate. People feel good when they donate, and they feel good about the company that makes it easy for them to donate. People will make a trip to a store if there is a collection box for a charity they like, and it may bring business into the store. Petco, for example, is currently offering you the opportunity to round up your purchase to the next nearest dollar with the change going to help stray animals. Petco can and does give money direct, but this will bring in the customers, they will purchase stuff, and feel good about donating.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by johnndor:
While I will give you the benfit of a doubt and applaud your efforts, I prefer to donate my miles to Make A Wish:

http://www.makeawish.org/home/giving-shopping/frame_giving_airmiles.htm

The nice thing is that CO and AA have no minimum, so why not sweep those odd little balances clean!

(edited to fix link)

[This message has been edited by johnndor (edited 08-09-2002).]</font>

Thanks for the link. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by oldpenny16:
I am really suspicious that people are trying to jump on to this tragedy! As far as travel is concerned, plenty of money has been raised for this faimly. Some of which they may actually get.</font>

Jan, I talked to the hospital administrator today, donations have been slim - where did you get this information?

Thanks for the replies, good to be skeptical, and I have been a registered member over a year here, I prefer to read and learn, and only comment if it is necessary.[/b][/QUOTE]



[This message has been edited by traveller115 (edited 08-11-2002).]

[
Also, I find it odd that when I originally replied to your post you claimed to be from Atlanta, but after typing my reply your location changed to Missouri!


Updated my account!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by johnndor:
Perfectly legal to donate, and encouraged by the airlines. As stated above (and on the Make-A-Wish site) you should not claim a tax deduction for the donation.</font>

What about donating the certificates after they've been redeemed with miles? Seems like you might have a better case for claiming those as a deduction of some sorts. I've seen quite a few free-flight certificates at charity auctions that were obviously obtained with miles and donated for bidding.

Starlight has a program whereby you can cash in Hilton HHonors points for a cash donation to Starlight. For 10,000 points, they will donate $25. Might this be any different since you are donating something which equates into a tangible, quantifiable cash value? Or does Hilton just get a deduction?

http://www.starlight.org/intl/helping/hiltonhonors.htm

cnk

[QUOTE]Originally posted by traveller115:
[B]Unfortunatley, no organziations (Make a wish- etc) help the family after the child is dead. The donations will not go to me and as I said in the post, if you reply, only after all the arrangements are made would you be contacted. A social worker at the Childrens Hospital of Dallas is handeling everything. We did not tell the family because if this falls apart, there is no need to raise false hopes.
Delta and Airtran advised they do not donate any free seats for causes such as this due to the tremendous requests for same.

TO those of you who live near this family and are following the story, from what's written here it says this family has little money. I'm wondering how little. Can they afford warm clothing for their children this winter? School supplies for the kids? Food? Depending on their financial situation, I'd rather provide items that might be more of a necessity if that's what's needed.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by letiole:
[B]TO those of you who live near this family and are following the story, from what's written here it says this family has little money.

I will be talking with the case worker on Monday, and will find out. Thank you.

thank you to those who replied - the family will be going on a vacation thanks to a few generous AB Employees and Delta frequent fliers.