OREANDA-NEWS. February 04, 2009. JSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines and Vladimir Spivakov’s International Charity Foundation supporting artistically gifted children set in motion their joint project “On the Wings of Music”, reported the press-centre of Aeroflot.

The campaign will start on January 30 2009 at the concert “Moscow Virtuosi: Today and Tomorrow” at Svetlanov’s Hall of Moscow International Music Hall. The concert will be opened by Aeroflot CEO Valery Okulov, and Vladimir Spivakov, President of the Foundation.

Vladimir Spivakov will be presented with a corporate card of the Aeroflot Bonus program to which Aeroflot passengers can transfer miles collected within the program for frequently flying passengers. The campaign was created to follow up and enhance “Mercy Miles”, another Aeroflot’s charity program, brought to life jointly with the “Give Life” foundation under the patronage of renowned Russian actresses – Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun. Aeroflot customers now can donate their miles not only for treatment of ill children but also to support Russia’s young talents.

As part of the project, Aeroflot together with Spivakov Foundation will hold the contest for the best picture named ‘The Heart Has Two Wings’ among challenged children in Moscow and other Russian cities, and sponsor concerts within the charity program “Children to Children”.

The “Mercy Miles” Project found an echo in the hearts of Aeroflot’s customers participating in the “Aeroflot Bonus” program. The company passengers’ miles helped dozens of children needing surgery or treatment to travel with Aeroflot. The new project “On the Wings of Music” will certainly be just as widely supported among Aeroflot customers as “Mercy Miles”.

Over the period of June 2008 through January 2009, “Aeroflot Bonus” members donated over 12, 748, 894 miles; about 5,595,000 of those miles have been used; 229 award tickets were given.

The charity project “Mercy Miles” was launched in June 2008 as part of the “Aeroflot Bonus” program. The program members can donate part of their collected miles for a charity organization. The donated miles are used as award tickets given to children with heavy diseases and their accompanying persons travelling from Russian cities to Moscow and abroad for treatment, as well as to medical specialists helping those children.

Initially, was launched in cooperation with Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova`s charity foundation “Give Life”. Further on, the project is planned to cooperate with other charity organizations in order to help as many children as possible.

Aeroflot runs youth supporting campaigns together with foundations by Mikhail Rostropovich and Vladimir Spivakov, offering reduced fares for schools’ honors graduates from remote Russian towns entering Moscow’s Universities. A number of socially oriented programs are created to help children needing medical assistance: Aeroflot cooperates with A.N. Bakulev’s Center for Cardiovascular Surgery, Institute for Children’s Haematology and Transplantology, “Give Life” charity foundation. 

The International Charity Foundation was set up by Vladimir Spivakov in May 1994. The principal goal of the Foundation is to assist artistically gifted children in the development of their talents and professional growth. The geography of the Foundation’s activities includes over 300 towns in Russia, CIS, Baltic countries and other countries of the world.

The principal activity areas are finding young talents, organizing and participating in concerts, festivals, exhibitions, contests and other cultural events; material and medical help to gifted children; implementation of educational programs; conducting charity projects for children living in difficult conditions. Over its history, the Foundation has succeeded in finding and revealing to the world of many young people gifted in arts, music and choreography, and creating beneficial environment for their creative growth.

Aeroflot Bonus is an Aeroflot passenger stimulating program launched in April 1999. The program members are granted ‘bonus miles’ for each mile  traveled with Aeroflot, which entitles them not only to receive free tickets or use the services of Aeroflot’s partner companies but also to make their traveling more comfortable. Today, Aeroflot Bonus is one of the largest loyalty programs on the Russian market. In 2006, the program became the laureate of Freddie Awards, a prestigious international award in the sphere of loyalty programs, in the nominations: ‘Best Website’, ‘Program of the Year’ and ‘Best Customer Service’.