Monday, 16 April 2012

‘BIG GIVES BACK’ RM10,000 TO SUPPORT ‘BLIND LEADING THE BLIND’

PETALING JAYA, 16 April 2012 – AirAsia BIG, the global loyalty programme of the world’s best low cost airline AirAsia, it putting the RM10,000 money it raised during its global launch promotion end of last year to a good cause by channelling it towards increasing awareness on visual impairment and blindness.

AirAsia BIG, represented by Tune Money CEO Peter Miller and AirAsia Head of Commercial Jasmine Lee, handed over the contribution to the Lions Club of Petaling Jaya President Ang Toon Aun at the ‘Blind Leading the Blind’ Charity Walk organised by the Club here on Sunday.

This was the 9th annual edition of the Blind Leading the Blind that has been organised with the objective of creating public awareness on eye care. The project is endorsed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

About 3,000 people participated in the walkabout, where they were blindfolded and walked a distance of three kilometres, led either by a trained blind person or a sighted partner. A hundred representatives from the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) also participated and facilitated the walkabout, led by MAB president Datuk Dr Abdullah Malim Baginda. About 100 staff members of Tune Money, AirAsia and other Tune Group of companies and their family and friends were among the participants.

Peter Miller said: “We raised the money through our CSR programme ‘BIG Gives Back’ during a  special promotion we held in conjunction with the global launch of AirAsia BIG loyalty programme end of last year. For every card signed up during the period, RM1 was pledged for charity. Care for the eye should be everyone’s concern and by supporting this noble cause we hope to be able to help raise the awareness towards eye care and benefit needy patients. It becomes even more meaningful with the participation of our colleagues in order to better understand the needs of the blind as well as to take better care of their eyes.

Lion Ang said: “We would like to thank AirAsia BIG Global Loyalty for their valuable contribution. Funds raised from our walk are used to support the Club’s Sight First projects. In collaboration with the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital, Lions Club PJ has given free eye screening and cataract operation for more than 12,000 poor and needy senior citizens, all funded by the RM500,000 raised through the past eight Blind Leading the Blind Charity Walk projects.”

“More importantly, we have had imparted an Eye Care Awareness to more than 160,000 walkers since 2003,” he added.
AirAsia BIG is an innovative global loyalty programme that allows card holders to earn BIG Points when travelling and shopping, and redeem the accumulated points for exciting rewards including flight seats on AirAsia and AirAsia X. AirAsia BIG loyalty membership is open to anyone aged 2 years and above anywhere in the world.

The AirAsia BIG Loyalty is owned and managed by Think Big Digital, a joint venture between AirAsia and Tune Money.


-ENDS-



About BIG
BIG is a global loyalty programme that gives you FREE flights and other rewards. The BIG Card, which incorporates Visa payment applications in Malaysia, allows you to earn BIG Points whenever you spend at all Visa accepted merchants and BIG Partners worldwide. Accumulate your BIG Points to redeem flight seats on AirAsia & AirAsia X and other rewards. BIG is a 50/50 JV between the world’s best low cost airline AirAsia (www.airasia.com) and Tune Money a universal financial services company offering affordable prepaid cards as well as life and general insurance products (www.tunemoney.com).

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