Commentary: Generosity runs through industry

   Sometimes one kind act deserves another.
   In these pages last month, our columnist Tom Nightingale described his efforts to get airline passengers to transfer their upgrades to soldiers. The piece unsurprisingly struck a strong chord with readers, especially coming as it did after the holiday season.
   The spirit of generosity is not confined to our columnists, however. Recently, an American Shipper reader and participant in one of our research surveys made his own giving gesture.
   In a random draw, Richard Ewers, associate manager for import and export compliance USA for the children’s formula manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition, won a prize of 15,000 Marriott Rewards points from American Shipper for participating in one on our benchmark research surveys in 2014.
   However, instead of keeping the points, Ewers decided to donate them to Hotels for Heroes, a charity that provides free hotel rooms for ailing military servicemen and women and their families during treatment. Hotels for Heroes is run by Fisher House, an organization that provides housing near major military and VA medical centers.
   It also works with seven major hotel chains to provide rewards members with the option to donate their loyalty points for hotel room stays. Fisher House estimates it has saved military veterans’ families an estimated $235 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation since its inception.
   For more information, go to https://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/hotels-for-heroes/.
   In the meantime, a hearty thanks to Ewers for such a generous gift. American Shipper’s research endeavours rely on the generosity of its readers as they seek to learn from their peers by sharing their own experiences. Acts like this only show how deep that generosity runs.

This commentary was published in the February 2015 issue of American Shipper.