Free flight contest draws stirring stories from Nunavut, Nunavik

Iqaluit’s Sarah Maniapik has given away about half of the 40 airline tickets she won from a First Air 40th anniversary contest and will soon be giving the remainder away to some lucky Nunavimmiut. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER)

She’s given away half of her 40 free airline tickets to some lucky Baffin recipients and Sarah Maniapik is now about to give away the rest — to Nunavimmiut.

You may recall the story we did on Maniapik who won 40 free tickets as a way for the airline to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

Once chosen by First Air, Maniapik launched her own contest to give the plane tickets away to people who had compelling stories of family and illness, aging and hardship.

“The selflessness of others, people nominating others they thought needed a break,” said Maniapik, June 14 from Iqaluit, when asked what impacted her most about the ticket giveaway.

“It was nice to see how people think of others. They put a lot of thought into their submissions which really helped me make my decisions. And some people had a hard time expressing themselves so I’d pull it out of them in a couple of emails.”

First Air’s contest return tickets were specific and non-negotiable — from Montreal to Kuujjuaq, Kuujjuaq to Iqaluit or Iqaluit to Kuujjuaq.

And if you wanted to win tickets from Maniapik, you couldn’t ask for them yourself. You had to be recommended by someone else.

Those criteria disqualified many worthy applicants, Maniapik said, and so the hardest part about her flight philanthropy, which she launched in early May, was having to say “No” to a lot of people.

“People who really put themselves out there — Inuit are not ones to ask for anything for themselves, to some degree, so I knew it took a lot of courage for some people to write to me, a total stranger, and share personal details from their life. That was difficult for sure,” Maniapik said.

But once she explained the parameters of the contest, people were understanding, she said, and thanked her anyway.

Because the stories people told were often very personal, and because word travels fast in small communities, Maniapik was reluctant to describe the winners in great detail. She wants to protect their privacy.

But some of those stories were so heartbreaking, she chokes up on the phone just talking about it.

Some people talked about tracking down the grave sites of loved ones and wanting to visit them.

Some described living in southern cities for years and not having the money to fly home to see family and eat country foods.

There were decent parents struck numb by grief and others who have struggled through disabling challenges and survived.

When it was possible, she would announce a winner on a three-way call with the person who recommended them.

The feeling she got, from hearing the shock and gratitude from winners, was so rewarding, said Maniapik, manager of the Canada Nunavut Business Service Centre, and mother of two.

When asked how the experience had changed her, the phone line went silent for a while as she swallowed back the rush of emotions.

“Remembering to be good — it’s a gentle reminder,” she said. “Other people can realize that now too.

Maniapik expects this week to finalize her choices for Nunavik recipients and give those last tickets away.