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Interns Scoop Their Way Out of Clusterfluff to Benefit Red Cross

bianca-rappapor
Explorer C

What’s better than ice cream?  Free ice cream.  What’s better than free ice cream? Free ice cream in support of a good cause.  Here’s the scoop…

On April 12, Southwest’s NoLimits Internship Program teamed up with the Ben & Jerry’s of Dallas/Fort Worth for B&J’s 33rd Annual Free Cone Day Celebration.  While the ice cream itself was free, all customers were encouraged to make a contribution to the American Red Cross. We jumped at the chance to serve our community (and ourselves to some scrumptious Phish Food).

 Thirty-two Interns and six Southwest Employees went out to Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops in McKinney, Plano and Highland Village to welcome the long line of customers, serve ice cream, and garner support for the Red Cross. Representatives from the Red Cross mingled with the customers and educated them on the organization’s mission.


The Red Cross is an international humanitarian aid organization that offers emergency services.  Its work includes domestic and international disaster relief, community services for the needy, support for military families, the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood, health and safety education as well as international development programs.  Southwest has been a long-time supporter of nonprofit organizations that focus their efforts on disaster preparedness and response, so this volunteer opportunity was a natural fit for us.

As our Internship sadly comes to a close in just two weeks, it was sweet to Share the Spirit with the Interns in the height of National Volunteer Week.  For a few short hours, we were living the Americone Dream.  (I’m sorry, but it’s just too easy!)

This blog post is part of a week-long series on volunteerism at Southwest Airlines in honor of National Volunteer Week.  On Monday, April 13, 2011, Southwest launched 40 Hours for 40 Years, an Employee Volunteer pledge campaign that challenges its 35,000 Employees to pledge and record 40 volunteer hours in honor of our 40 years of service.  For every 40 hours volunteered at a nonprofit by an Employee or group of Employees, Southwest Airlines will donate a complimentary, roundtrip ticket to that organization through its ongoing Tickets for Time program. For more information on ways that Southwest gives back to the communities it serves, please visit www.southwest.com/citizenship.