Three critically ill children in the Casey Cares programs and their families flew to Florida for the trip of a lifetime, thanks to the generosity of the Something mAAgic Foundation® , along with mileage provided by the American Airlines Kids In Need Program.. On Thursday, September 22, the flight departed from the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and was scheduled to land in sunny Orlando, Florida, in the afternoon.
Everything from the flights to rental cars are covered for this trip, including an amazing opportunity to stay at the Give Kids The World Village, a nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida, for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The families had opportunities to explore all the activities that Central Florida brings such as DisneyWorld, Sea World and Universal Studios.
This year marks the seventh year in a row that Something mAAgic has sponsored these trips for children from the Baltimore/Washington area and the Casey Cares Foundation. Zahara (7 years old), Simon (8 years old) and Gianna (4 years old) will all be departing from Washington/Reagan airport with their families.
The timing of this travel is also important. Zahara, who is battling sickle cell disease, is from Suitland, Maryland in Prince George’s County. September just so happens to be Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Gianna has been battling leukemia, and this month is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Simon, meanwhile, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy but always manages to have a smile on his face, is from Towson, Maryland, and is a huge fan of pirates. His older sister, Olivia, will be celebrating her birthday during this vacation.
Everything from the flights to rental cars are covered for this trip, including an amazing opportunity to stay at the Give Kids The World Village, a nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida, for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The families will have opportunities to explore all the activities that Central Florida brings such as DisneyWorld, Sea World and Universal Studios.
“mAAgic flight is such a special event that is more than just traveling to Florida. The kids and their families receive VIP treatment and are sent off in style from their hometown airports,” said Shannon Mullery, President, Something mAAgic Foundation® . “We are so excited to partner once again with the Casey Cares Foundation. We love working with grassroots organizations like our own, and we understand how much this means to Casey Cares, which relies so much on support from volunteers.”
“We cannot thank the Something mAAgic Foundation® and Give Kids The World enough for this amazing opportunity for our Casey Cares kids,” said Casey Baynes, founder and executive director of Casey Cares.
“Our organization is all about creating lasting memories for critically ill children and their families, and we are certain they will come home with incredible memories from this vacation!” Casey Baynes added. “Because these families are battling critical illnesses, they don’t often get a chance to take vacations so this is a wonderful gift for them.”
