• by Tanya Gazdik , November 6, 2017

JetBlue is kicking off its second annual “For Good Month,” a celebration of kindness and good deeds. 

Customers can #CheckInForGood at pop-up kiosks in surprise locations in New York City, Los Angeles and online at JetBlueCheckInForGood.com for the chance participate in three volunteer trips which align with the three JetBlue for Good pillars: youth and education, community and environment.

Twenty-two volunteers will be selected for the #CheckInForGood trips and will have the option to bring a guest to share the experience. The trips depart around Giving Tuesday, the international day of giving, from New York, and the first 2,000 participants who #CheckInForGood will receive $10 to donate to a charity of their choice through GlobalGiving.org.

Entrants who are selected as winners from the “standby” list for one of the volunteer trips will be notified of their eligibility on a rolling basis through Nov. 20. The airline is promoting the initiative on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Service is part of the airline’s DNA, says Icema Gibbs, director corporate social responsibility, JetBlue. 

“Like JetBlue, our customers value kindness and humanity,” Gibbs says in a release. “#CheckInForGood is a great way for us to rollup our sleeves together, celebrate good deeds, and reinforce our belief that every single person can make a difference.”

To enter, entrants can fill out a short questionnaire about what “good” they have to declare at one of the JetBlue kiosks, or online at JetBlueCheckInForGood.com through Nov. 9. Based on individual responses, entrants will be matched to causes aligning with JetBlue For Good’s three key pillars.

The trip geared toward youth and education will benefit Houston’s public libraries, which are still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Harvey.  Building on JetBlue’s signature Soar with Reading literacy program, designed to inspire and encourage kids' imaginations to take flight through reading, volunteers on this trip will check in with elementary schools in communities which have been impacted by Harvey, have low literacy rates and where their libraries are still closed. While the Mobile Express, HPL’s library-on-wheels hits the road to distribute free books, volunteers will help operate “pop-up” libraries and host reading events, with books donated in partnership with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

For the community-oriented effort, JetBlue will also help the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, is committed to improving the lives of its local communities, supporting schools, facilities and centers across eight islands in the Caribbean.

The Eltham Community Centre in Jamaica serves the rural area surrounding Ocho Rios region. Here, neighbors can gather for recreational activities and informative workshops, receive mentorship and gain access to free mental and dental care as well as spay and neuter services for animal clinics. Volunteers on this trip will help paint, renovate and restore The Centre with upgrades to ensure it can continue to be a safe, healthy and inspiring space for both the young and elderly in the community. 

Finally, for the environment focused effort, JetBlue will help Atlantis Blue Project Foundation in the Bahamas. Led by marine ecologist Dr. Craig Dahlgren of the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, an organization developing innovative ways to protect Bahamian waters and wildlife, volunteers on this trip will participate in an ongoing coral nursery project on Paradise Island and assist with harvesting and out-planting coral, in addition to activities at the dolphin sanctuary.