NEW YORK,
April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines is joining rock icon and
philanthropist
Jon Bon Jovi, Habitat for Humanity and members of the Arena
Football League (AFL) team, The
Philadelphia Soul, to announce its commitment
to two Habitat projects in Brooklyn, N.Y., further demonstrating the airline's
dedication to New York. Working with Habitat for Humanity --
New York City,
Delta volunteers are helping complete Habitat-NYC's Halsey Street project in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the airline is pledging financial support to build at
Habitat-NYC's Atlantic Avenue project in Ocean Hill-Brownsville. The two
projects are part of Delta's Force for Global Good, a global initiative with a
focus on uniting the airline's employees and customers in support of corporate
philanthropic and social responsibility efforts.
Today, Jon, Habitat for Humanity's Founding Ambassador, is partnering with
Delta Chief Financial Officer Ed Bastian and 40 Delta employees from the New
York area and around the country to kick off the two-day build that will help
complete a nine-unit, three-story condominium complex on Halsey Street and
Marcus Garvey Boulevard. Three members of the Philadelphia Soul, which is co-
owned by Bon Jovi, also joined the Habitat build team, including Sean Scott,
Duane Missouri and Mike Brown. At the build site, Bastian presented a check
to Jon Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul Foundation, which will be used to fund
multiple Habitat homes, including Habitat-NYC's Atlantic Avenue project.
In December 2006, Jon joined Delta to announce the formation of Delta's
Force for Global Good and its first official partner, Habitat for Humanity
International. The two organizations convened in Johannesburg, South Africa
to build four homes in the Katlehong township as part of the airline's first
global build. Delta's Force for Global Good leverages the combined assets of
Delta's vast global network of nearly 47,000 employees who volunteer their
time and Delta's charitable foundation to support the global communities where
Delta customers and employees live and work.
"Delta is proud to join forces again with Jon and Habitat for Humanity
International, our Delta's Force for Global Good founding partner, to pledge
our physical and financial commitment to creating much-needed, affordable
housing," said Ed Bastian, Delta's chief financial officer. "As New York
City's largest airline, it is only fitting we are participating in these two
very important Brooklyn builds."
"In my role as a Habitat for Humanity Ambassador, I'm pleased to see that
a global company like Delta Air Lines has committed both funding and the time
of its employees to the work of Habitat," said Jon Bon Jovi. "I can speak
from experience that Delta's employees who are committing their time to
Habitat will feel proud and moved by their dedicated efforts. They will
encourage others to become involved and share in the rebuilding of their own
communities."
"We are delighted that Delta Air Lines and its volunteers, side by side
with Jon Bon Jovi and members of the Philadelphia Soul, are giving their
support -- and their labor -- to build homes for New Yorkers in need," said
Roland Lewis, executive director of Habitat for Humanity -- New York City.
"Delta, with its strong base of employees in New York City, understands the
depth our city's housing crisis and is committed to working, not just for
these two days, but for the cause."
The completion of the Halsey Street Project will bring the number of
Habitat homes in Bedford-Stuyvesant to 41. Nicknamed "The Coffee Cup
Building," this is one of the first structures in New York City to incorporate
energy-efficient Insulated Concrete Forms, made of polystyrene similar to
insulated coffee cups. The forthcoming Atlantic Avenue project is a 41-unit
"green" complex, located at Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway, will offer
affordable one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums to eligible New Yorkers.
Scheduled to break ground shortly, the new condominiums will be part of a
national model project in affordable green building and are being built to
meet the highest healthy and energy-efficient "green" standards. Habitat-NYC
homeowners will benefit from eco-friendly building materials and methods that
protect their health, as well as lower energy bills to help keep their homes
affordable. The development includes three buildings, each with its own
entrance lobby with mailboxes, a community room, laundry room and access to
the shared, landscaped yard. The yard will be designed for passive recreation,
with seating areas, landscaped areas and garden areas.
Jon Bon Jovi is the first Founding Ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity
Ambassador program. His support for Habitat for Humanity began in 2005 when
he provided the funds to build six homes in Philadelphia and worked to build
the homes with the homeowner families and members of his Philadelphia Soul
Arena Football Team. Later, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Jon Bon Jovi
surprised Oprah Winfrey with a check from his band for $1 million. Bon Jovi,
Habitat, and Oprah's Angel Network built 29 homes in Houma, La. with low-
income families previously displaced by the natural disaster. Then, in October
2006, Jon announced a unique partnership he brokered between Project H.O.M.E.,
Habitat for Humanity, the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation and Saturn
to renovate 15 row houses in one of Philadelphia's most poverty-ridden
neighborhoods. Including those 15 homes, Jon is currently a motivating force
behind a total of 49 homes being built in partnership with low-income
families.
Delta and its partners offer customers more flights to more destinations
from New York City's two preferred airports combined -- John F. Kennedy
International and New York-LaGuardia -- than any other airline.
Delta Air Lines (OTC: DALRQ) offers customers service to more destinations
than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 307
destinations in 52 countries. With more than 60 new international routes
added in the last year, Delta is America's fastest growing international
airline and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 31 trans-Atlantic
destinations. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 600
weekly flights to 58 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow
customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 15,000 flights offered by
SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global
airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide
destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide
codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 456 worldwide destinations in 100
countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check
flight status at delta.com.
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry
that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating
poverty housing. Since its founding in Americus, Ga., in 1976, Habitat has
built more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple,
decent and affordable shelter for more than one million people. For more
information, visit www.habitat.org.
Travel for some itineraries may be provided by Delta Connection carriers
Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, Chautauqua, Freedom Airlines and Shuttle
America.
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