Fundraising for dementia research: a million for a million

When you think about companies giving to charity, you wouldn’t think of a budget airline company as being among the generous, right? Wrong! easyJet, one of Europe’s budget carrier has just announced its pledge of raising one million pounds for charity. The beneficiary of this corporate generosity is no other than the Alzheimer’s Society of the UK. The fund raising drive is called “a million for a million”, a million pounds for a million people who will suffer from some form of dementia in the next ten years.

According to Andy Harrison, CEO of easyJet

‘I was shocked to learn that one million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. That’s why we have committed to raising a million for a million – one million pounds to help the million people who will be facing dementia.

Dementia is not a natural part of ageing but it is often still viewed in these terms, meaning it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The government only invests 2% of its medical research budget on dementia. We call on the government to boost research funding and make this condition a priority.’

Hre’s how the fundraising will work: Passengers on board all easyJet flights will be asked to donate their spare or excess foreign currency to dementia research. A collection bag will probably be given out to each passenger and collected just before landing. In addition, the Alzheimer’s Society will receive a percentage of the sales of scratch cards sold on easyJet flights. Collection starts this summer.

I think this is a splendid idea to raise money for charity. Those of you who are travelling international would know the hassle of different currencies and all those small change that clutters your purse. This is a great way of getting rid of them. And if you have more to spare, you can give more, too.

Neil Hunt, CEO of Azheimer’s Society UK says

‘easyJet has set a fantastic example by boosting funding for dementia. Charities, companies and the government can all work towards the goal of defeating dementia. We look forward to the forthcoming Dementia Research Summit and hope to see the development of an ambitious plan that drives real change.’

Thank you and happy landings.

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