Cruise Brings the Holidays to Haiti
Posted on 17. Jul, 2010 by cruisebuzz in Media content
For Immediate Release
Contact: Nancy Schretter, Founder, Together for Good KidTravel@aol.com or Cruise4Haiti@gmail.com
Cruise Brings the Holidays to Haiti
Cruise4Haiti Carries Hope for the Holidays to the People of Haiti
McLean, VA—June 21, 2010 – While looking for a way to help Haiti and bring a bit of holiday cheer to the earthquake ravaged island, three travel industry professionals came up with a unique idea, combining an aid mission with a scheduled cruise so that concerned travelers could join in to help. The result? Cruise4Haiti (www.cruise4haiti.com).
Working with the two non-profit groups—Airline Ambassadors (www.airlineamb.org) and For Haiti With Love (forhaitiwithlove.org)—Cruise4Haiti will bring pallets of supplies, including medical necessities and food, as well as monetary aid to the injured island nation.
With taglines of “Bring the Holidays to Haiti” and “Take a Cruise. Help Rebuild an Island”—the November 17 sailing from Miami on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas originated with Carrie Finley-Bajak from Cruise Holidays of Mission Viejo. The CruiseBuzz blogger then reached out to Nancy Schretter, managing editor of FamilyTravelNetwork.com and founder of the nonprofit, Together For Good (www.togetherforgood.org); and Rich Tucker, social media marketing manager for Travel Leaders Leisure Group and CruiseSource blogger. The three together came up with the Cruise4Haiti concept.
Says Finley-Bajak: “My original goal was simple – help one child. If I can help one child have a better day because of a fund raiser, then I have succeeded. As a cruise expert, I am dedicating my resources and expertise to help Haiti relief efforts. I hope others will join me … Together we can have a far larger impact … The more people we have helping to be part of the solution, the more people we can serve.”
The cruise, a 7-night departure, leaves Miami on November 14 and returns November 21. The ship calls at St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee, Haiti. Cruise prices start at $634 per person (including taxes and fees), with $75 being contributed directly to Haitian aid provided by the two charities. In addition, fundraisers will be held across the country, and in Miami the night before the cruise, and the Cruise4Haiti website is also collecting donations.
While in Haiti, Cruise4Haiti participants, along with leaders of Airline Ambassadors and For Haiti With Love, will personally deliver the donations in Labadee. In addition, Cruise4Haiti participants will also have an opportunity in San Juan to deliver holiday cheer to disadvantaged children.
For detailed itinerary, more information about the cruise, or to make a donation to Cruise4Haiti visit www.Cruise4Haiti.com.
Travelers interested in joining the cruise should contact Carrie Finley-Bajak at CruiseBuzz (Cruise@CruiseBuzz.net, 888-203-3012) or CruiseDeals.com (www.cruisedeals.com, @cruisesource, 800-668-6414).
About the organizations:
Airline Ambassadors
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization affiliated with the United Nations and recognized by the United States Congress. It began as a network of airline employees using their pass privileges to help others and has expanded into a network of students, medical professionals, families and retirees who volunteer as “Ambassadors of Goodwill” in their home communities and abroad. The organization provides a way for members to share their unique skills and talents to care for others and bring compassion into action. (www.airlineamb.org)
For Haiti With Love
For Haiti with Love was founded was founded by Don DeHart on his first trip in the winter of 1968 and is needed as much, if not more, today. This 501(c)3 organization works in and around the city of Cap-Haitien, not far from the port of Labadee. Many of the Haitian people who lived in Port-au-Prince, affected by the earthquake have migrated north to this region, while most of the foreign aid resources have gone toward Port-au-Prince. For Haiti with Love is one of the few groups established in the northern region where the need is continuously growing. For Haiti with Love operates an orphanage for 30 girls, a food program for locals and refugees from Port-au-Prince, and a free 24-hour emergency medical clinic specializing in burns. As funding permits, the organization also builds houses for the homeless. (www.forhaitiwithlove.org)
Together For Good
Together for Good is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting giving back as part of the travel experience. The organization’s website makes it easy for people to combine doing good with vacations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The website currently provides detailed information on over 90 humanitarian and cultural immersion opportunities for giving back to others and will be expanding to include projects throughout the United States, Africa and the Far East. Together for Good helps both travelers and travel-oriented business find ways to integrate giving back and voluntourism into vacations and other trips. (www.togetherforgood.org)
Your fantatic blog is definitely worth a read if anyone comes across it. Im lucky I did because now Ive got a whole new view of this. I didnt realise that this issue was so important and so universal. You definitely put it in perspective for me, thanks for the good info.