Stories

On Wednesday, December 1, Delta Airlines hosted a very special "Holiday in the Hangar" event at John F. Kennedy Airport for 100 children from WHEDCo and Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center, two of the Garden of Dreams Foundation's 21 partner organizations.
 
Upon arrival at JFK's Delta Terminal, the children were greeted by Delta's flight attendants and staff dressed as elves for the occasion.  Each child received their very own boarding pass to the North Pole and proceeded through airport security with Delta's elves for a complete travel experience. After the airport security check, the group proceeded to their departure gate where they were greeted by Rangers legend Adam Graves, MSG Network reporter Jill Martin and Delta's pilots and aircraft staff. The children were so excited to board the plane, the energy traveled throughout the entire airport.

Upon boarding the holiday decorated Delta 767, each child received a gift bag filled with Delta, Knicks, Rangers and Liberty swag. Once aboard aircraft, the children began to sing holiday tunes as the Delta elves served Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate and munchkin donuts. Shortly after, the group taxied down the runway to an airplane hangar magically transformed into the North Pole!  

The children exited the flight onto a red carpet and were welcomed by New York Knicks players Raymond Felton and Roger Mason Jr., New York Rangers legend Rod Gilbert, New York Liberty alumnus Kym Hampton, New York Liberty mascot Maddie, the Knicks City Dancers and Santa!

Everyone enjoyed food and refreshments provided by Coke as the children visited with Santa and received holiday gifts! In addition to Santa, the children enjoyed activities such as the Wii gaming station, Knicks Groove Truck, Rangers Road Tour, street hockey, face painting, craft stations and photo opportunities with the Delta Mini Cooper and the Coca-Cola Polar Bears.

Whether it was a child's first airline experience or a return visit to Delta, it was a holiday memory for every child that will be cherished forever.

At the end of the event, a young child from WHEDCo gasped, "Wow, we really are special!"
 
A special thank you to Delta for making this event such a phenomenal experience for the children and families this holiday season!

Be sure to check out the video and photos from the "Holiday in the Hangar" event!