Hope will be available at WHSmith North America Retail Stores Nationwide
Las Vegas, Nevada – February 11, 2025 – Miracle Flights and WHSmith North America, the nation’s leading specialty retailer in the airport marketplace, announced the launch of Hope the Bear. To celebrate this occasion, the Honorable Shelley Berkley, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, declared February 11th as Hope Day.
Adorned with a helmet and goggles, a pink-trimmed aviator jacket, and a windswept silk scarf, Hope will be available alongside Miles the Bear at WHSmith retail stores across the country starting today. With each sale, a portion of the proceeds will fund Miracle Flights’ mission to provide free commercial flights to children in need of life-changing medical care that is unavailable in their local community. The arrival of Hope marks the next stage of an ongoing partnership between the organizations, which has raised over $300,000 and helped over 300 Miracle Flights families since its inception in 2021.
With the introduction of Hope, Miracle Flights and WHSmith North America are also launching a website where customers can register their bear and receive gifts and occasional updates about the soaring duo.
“We are immensely grateful to WHSmith North America’s continued partnership as we celebrate Miracle Flights’ 40th anniversary of providing miracles and hope to children and families in need,” noted Mark E. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Miracle Flights. “We are excited that Miles will now be joined by Hope to provide a calming and comforting presence for thousands of children in need of medical treatment, and we could not accomplish this without WHSmith’s continued commitment to our mission.”
“It is a privilege to support children in need of life-changing medical care through our partnership with Miracle Flights,” said Julie Skiba, Chief People Officer of WHSmith North America. “We have witnessed the profound impact our collaboration with Miracle Flights has had on countless families. We are thrilled to have our customers embrace Hope along with Miles in their homes as we continue to raise awareness and support for the remarkable work Miracle Flights accomplishes.”
Miles and Hope retail for 20 USD and are now available in WHSmith locations across North America.
About Miracle Flights
Miracle Flights provides free commercial flights to children and their families who need life-changing medical care not available in their local communities. Since 1985, we’ve provided more than 165,000 free flights and booked 700 flights per month on commercial airlines across the United States. Miracle Flights is the first national nonprofit headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more about Miracle Flights, visit miracleflights.org.
About WHSmith North America
WHSmith is a leading global travel retailer with over 1,700 stores across 30 countries worldwide. WHSmith North America, incorporating Marshall Retail Group (MRG) and InMotion, represents over half of the Company’s international store estate, with c.320 specialty retail stores located in airports and resorts across North America. MRG prides itself on creating unique experiences for customers by developing distinctive retail store concepts that feature and highlight the local culture, community, and lifestyle of the cities in which they are located. InMotion Entertainment Group is the largest airport-based electronics retailer in travel locations globally, with more than 120 locations throughout the United States. With access and insight into the latest technologies for business and leisure travellers, InMotion offers lifestyle products and electronics that include a wide breadth of headphones, mobile power, Bluetooth speakers and travel accessories. Follow WH Smith North America and InMotion on LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Fox Deatry
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Miracle Flights
fdeatry@miracleflights.org
702.261.0494
Alden Tseng | Aniya Chamas
Kirvin Doak Communications
WHSmithNorthAmericaPR@kirvindoak.com
702.737.3100
