Toronto Chapter Celebrates 20 Years of Making Children's Dreams Come True

    MONTREAL, June 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada is proud of its volunteer
employees and friends of Dreams Take Flight who tomorrow are celebrating 20
years of making "Magical Memories for Special Kids" through Dreams Take
Flight, a not-for-profit Canadian organization that takes disadvantaged
children to Disney theme parks for a day of fun and adventure.
    "Air Canada congratulates the Toronto chapter of Dreams Take Flight,
especially our own employee volunteers who are involved in making tomorrow a
magical day when children's dreams come true," said Calin Rovinescu, President
and Chief Executive of Air Canada. "What began as a one-time volunteer
undertaking by a handful of Air Canada employees in Toronto has grown over two
decades into a national program that by year end will have made 20,000 dreams
come true with a fun-filled, all-expense-paid day to Disney theme parks in
Florida and California. We are extremely proud of all our employees and
community volunteers from across Canada who work throughout the year to make
these special dreams a reality."
    On Thursday, June 4, the Dreams Take Flight, Toronto Chapter, will mark
its 20th anniversary by flying two planeloads filled with 300 children to the
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. This is the single
largest contingent of children yet to participate in a Dreams Take Flight
pilgrimage to Disney. The children will get an early morning send-off from a
specially decorated Air Canada hangar featuring pre-flight events that include
sports celebrities, music, animals from the Bowmanville Zoo and other
entertainment.
    Flights AC 7001 and AC 7003, operated by Aircraft Minnie and Aircraft
Mickey, will depart from an Air Canada hangar at 6420 Silver Dart Drive at 7
a.m. Media are invited to attend the pre-flight festivities, which begin at
4:30 a.m. For more information contact Peter Dychtiar, Flight Media Director,
at 905-374-4888 or email at sunburst@cogeco.ca

    About Dreams Take Flight

    Dreams Take Flight is a national volunteer charitable organization
dedicated to providing the trip of a lifetime to physically, mentally or
socially challenged children. With the aid of Air Canada, other national and
local organizations and businesses, money is raised to fund the program in
Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax.
Funds not required for its primary purpose can be gifted by Dreams Take Flight
to other registered charities that benefit physically, mentally or socially
challenged children and are within the policies adopted by Dreams Take Flight
Canada.
    The first Dreams Take Flight station was founded in Toronto in 1989. It
has taken over 4,910 special children to the Magic Kingdom during its 20 year
history. The various volunteer groups across the country that organize the
Dream Flights officially united in 1998 as one national organization under the
banner "Dreams Take Flight". In total, by yearend, Dreams Take Flight stations
across Canada will have made 20,000 dreams with the trip of a lifetime to
Disney aboard aircraft supplied by Air Canada.

    About Air Canada

    Montréal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air
transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five
continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 13th largest commercial airline in
the world and serves 33 million customers annually. Air Canada is a founding
member of Star Alliance, providing the world's most comprehensive air
transportation network for Canadian domestic, transborder and international
travel. As well, customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future awards
through Canada's leading loyalty program.
    In 2008, the readers of Business Traveler magazine voted Air Canada "Best
In-Flight Services in North America," "Best Airline for Business Class Service
in North America" and "Best North American Airline for International Travel."
    Through its community investment program, Kids' Horizons, Air Canada
actively supports each of the eight Dreams Take Flight Chapters and over 400
charitable organizations throughout Canada that improve the lives of children.
Through the Air Canada Kids' Horizons' Hospital Transportation Program, we
regularly transport kids requiring specialized medical attention to the
pediatric facilities best suited to their needs. We work to help children in
the developing world, and we enable seriously ill children to realize a
special dream. From collecting change at airport locations and onboard our
international flights, to visiting hospitals; we're helping young people in
ways large and small. Kids' Horizons supports hundreds of charities and
non-profit organizations every year.