Delta Volunteers Build 10 Homes with Habitat for Humanity in Manila, Philippines

ATLANTA and MANILA, Philippines, March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Habitat for Humanity International will join forces March 7-16, to help build 10 Habitat homes in Quezon City, outside the capital of Manila, as part of Delta's Force for Global Good program to effect positive local and global change. This year's volunteers come from 16 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"Delta has been serving Manila, Philippines, for more than 60 years, and we are strongly committed to the communities we serve," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president – Asia Pacific. "A total of 90 employees, retirees and customers, including 40 local Manila employees, will be building homes in Quezon City, the largest city of metropolitan Manila."

"Giving back to the communities where Delta people live and work is a civic obligation and an integral part of our company's culture," said Tad Hutcheson, Delta's vice president – Community Affairs. "Our long-standing relationship with Habitat for Humanity has given us the opportunity to build more than 100 affordable homes around the world."

While building the 10 new homes, Delta volunteers will work side by side with the families who will live in the new community -- called Bistekville 4 -- when it is completed. The structures will be built to resist earthquakes, hurricanes and floods and will be primarily made from concrete block, which will require minimal ongoing maintenance for the new owners. 

For a second consecutive year, Delta volunteers will be joined by Dan DeRiemer of Roswell, Ga., a Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion member who bid a record 556,000 miles through Delta's SkyMiles Online Auction to win the opportunity to participate in the build with his wife, Laura.

Delta employees from around the globe use vacation time and pay a portion of their expenses to volunteer on the international builds and help those in need of simple, decent and affordable housing, while also taking the opportunity to learn more about the country and its culture. Delta has participated in similar projects in Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand.

"We are very appreciative of Delta's support," said Charlie Ayco, CEO of Habitat Philippines. "We are honored to be chosen as the host for Delta's annual international build and look forward to partnering together to help families obtain safe and affordable housing." 

Delta has supported Habitat for Humanity for more than a decade and strengthened the partnership in 2006 by becoming a national partner and unveiling the first 767-300 featuring a unique Habitat for Humanity livery and a Delta Force for Global Good decal. The special livery helps raise awareness of Habitat for Humanity's global work and highlights the efforts of employee participation in Delta's Force for Global Good. 

Delta operates daily flights from Manila to Tokyo-Narita and Nagoya-Centrair, where customers can connect to daily flights to the U.S. More than 150 employees are based in the Philippines. Delta is committed to supporting the Philippines community, a country that Delta has served for more than 60 years. During the past 10 years, Delta has sponsored a scholarship program at Concordia College Manila to support underprivileged students and recently partnered with Ayala Foundation, a Manila-based nonprofit organization, through the SkyWish charity program thus allowing customers to donate miles to support its efforts.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer visit habitat.org.

About Delta 
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 324 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com. 

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines