Τhe organization “The Smile of the Child” and the Athens International Airport presented and reaffirmed their longstanding, successful and multilevel cooperation during a common Press Conference, at the premises of the National Operational Centre of the Greek Organization for Children. The President of the Board of Directors of “The Smile of the Child”, Costas Yannopoulos, presented the common actions implemented from 2002 till today, emphasizing the strong human relationship that has been developed in the pursuit of the common goal of providing high-quality services, respecting and focusing on the needs of children. From 2002, “The Smile of the Child” operates a Recreational Area for Children in the facilities of Athens International Airport, based on the following characteristics: ● The activities and care for every child based on his/her age and interests ● The specialized staff of the facility ● The absolute safety and hygiene of the facility ● The carefree and warm atmosphere of the area Since the beginning of its operation, “The Smile of the Child” has welcomed at Athens International Airport 64,000 little visitors from around the world; in 2015, 5,865 children enjoyed recreational activities in the Airport’s Recreational Area. For ten of thousands of families travelling through Athens, the Recreational Area of the Airport constitutes a frequent point of entertainment for children. Personal relationships have been developed through the years, and even lots of children - former guests and adults today - are still visiting the area and its people. However, apart from the operation of the Recreational Area, Costas Yannopoulos presented the important contribution of the Airport and its human resources to “The Smile of the Child”, as, indicatively, the renovation of the Home for Children in Kareas (Attica), which took place in 2009. At the same time, the cooperation and the strong social awareness of the Airport on every issue related to children, is reflected in its participation to the Amber Alert Hellas from 2008 to 2010 within the facility of the Airport, as well as in the operation of a Disaster Recovery Area since 2010 that allows the National Helpline for Children 1056 and the European Hotline for Missing Children 116 000 to operate in the possible event of a failure of the main system in place. On behalf of the Athens International Airport, Ioanna Papadopoulou, Communications & Marketing Director, focused on the great value of this ongoing - since 2002 - cooperation with the Association “The Smile of the Child”, through a substantial number of joint activities; special emphasis was given on the successful operation of the Children’s Creative Entertainment Area at the airport, offering smiles each day to the hundreds of the children- visitors. Mrs. Papadopoulou additionally highlighted the benefits deriving from this cooperation for the airport community and the general public, and announced the next steps of this partnership, including the joint actions, ranging from substantial financial support to new initiatives, aiming at the engagement and the activation of the entire airport community. In the context of the upcoming joint initiatives presented during the press conference, the two organizations highlighted the 1st Plane Pull in Greece, to take place in spring 2016 at Athens International Airport. For more information, please contact: “The Smile of the Child” [email protected] +30 210 33 06 140
AIA Press Office Tel: +30 210 3537227 Fax: +30 210 3537838 Email: [email protected]
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