Delta Partnership
CLOSER TO CANCER-FREE, THANKS TO YOU.
Saving Lives Together
The American Cancer Society has proudly partnered with Delta Air Lines since 2001. Through fundraising events like Relay For Life, Delta Day of Hope, Jet Drag, Atlanta Hope Ball, and two premier golf tournaments, Delta employees build teamwork, generate enthusiasm, and inspire everyone at every level in the company – including their customers – to help us improve the lives of cancer patients and their families.
Over a 24-year partnership, Delta Air Lines has donated more than $22 million dollars to the American Cancer Society and raised the bar high for other companies to follow suit. The generosity and ongoing support of Delta and their leadership have a direct impact on ACS’s ability to ensure that lifesaving cancer research continues to get funded, and people facing cancer get the help they need.
Relay For Life of Delta Corporate
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest fundraising event to save lives from cancer. What began with Delta’s sponsorship and participation in a couple of community Relay For Life events was taken to the next level and blossomed into the world’s largest corporate Relay For Life, celebrated each spring at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.
Through the vision, leadership, and inspiration of Delta’s people like Richard Anderson, Gil West, Ed Bastian, Gareth Joyce, Bill Lentsch, Mike Moore, Ken McCue, Erik Snell, Richard Cox, Derrick “DL” Jones, Terry Waldrop, and so many others, Delta has demonstrated an unsurpassed corporate commitment to the American Cancer Society and the fight against cancer.
Delta Day of Hope
Not only does Delta Air Lines hold the record for the world’s largest corporate Relay For Life event, but they found a way to share the opportunity to participate in Relay with travelers at dozens of airports around the world by holding fundraising events during the Delta Day of Hope celebrated in May.
It began when a group of Delta people in Minneapolis, who had participated in their community Relay For Life, decided to host a Relay event in their airport. They said, “The airport family IS our community.” That airport Relay was so successful and inspiring, the effort spread around the world. The Delta Day of Hope became a unique version of Relay For Life, adapted for airport communities.
The day honors cancer survivors and caregivers, remembers those lost to the disease, and provides an opportunity to fight back against cancer. The goal is to engage the Delta family, other airlines, and vendors in a daytime event combining fundraising, awareness, and educational outreach. Each station, or airport location, is encouraged to allow employees to fundraise during the event and before the event online. Events can range from a simple bake sale to a full day of activities.
Passengers traveling around the globe see the familiar purple Relay For Life logo, helping to build awareness and getting more people involved in the fight against cancer. These events spark hope for countless people facing and surviving cancer to know a company like Delta Air Lines is in their corner along with the American Cancer Society to help end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
Delta Jet Drag
Planes may be big, but cancer is bigger. The annual Jet Drag is one of the most unique fundraisers Delta Air Lines has created in support of the American Cancer Society. Thousands of Delta employees gather from around the world for one day at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to participate in the ultimate plane-pulling contest.
More than 170 teams of 25 people each compete from sunrise to sundown to see who can move a 255,000-pound Boeing 757 jet 25 feet in the quickest time. Team Hope Thrives, a group of Delta cancer survivors and caregivers, is a leading source of inspiration for the event. Past Jet Drag celebrity participants have include saxophonist Kenny G, professional wrestler and actor John Cena, and professional football quarterback Tom Brady.
When teams aren’t flexing their muscles in the Jet Drag, they are nearby in Delta Tech Ops Hangar 10 participating in the largest corporate Relay For Life event in the country raising money at the many concession booths.
The event is largely organized and participated in by Delta employees, showcasing their dedication to supporting cancer research.
The Jet Drag originated as a way for Delta employees to contribute to the American Cancer Society through a unique and engaging event.
Hope Ball
The Atlanta Hope Ball, presented by Delta Air Lines, has raised more than $7 million in support of the American Cancer Society since 2016. One of the premier American Cancer Society galas in the country, Hope Ball’s success is driven by the active involvement and longstanding commitment of Delta Air Lines executive leadership who help us to raise funds for critical cancer research and deliver high-impact patient programs and services.
As an engaged partner, Delta provides financial sponsorship, offers expertise and resources, and actively participates in event planning and execution to help achieve our vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
A recipient of Atlanta Hope Ball fund raising efforts has been the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Hope Lodge, located on Emory University’s campus in Decatur. Hope Lodge offers a solution to cancer patients when the best treatment options are far from home. It’s not simply a free place to stay, but it’s a home away from home helping to alleviate the strain of travel and some of the financial and emotional burden faced by families.
Delta Golf Classic and Delta Wings of Hope in Atlanta
The American Cancer Society Golf Classic program is a series of exclusive, first-class fundraising events that engage thousands of golfers every year to help save lives and give hope to those facing cancer.
Presented by Delta Air Lines, the Delta Golf Classic Atlanta, held at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia, and the Delta Wings of Hope golf tournament, held at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, are two of the most prestigious events in the Southeast. These premier events are designed to provide an unforgettable day on top-tier courses and raise critical funds to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
Every swing and every moment help to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
