Search results matching tags 'Events', 'Family Life', and 'Volunteering'

Cruise Planners "CP Cares" Supports Angel Notion Raising $15,000 usd!

435836 — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:56:00 GMT

It's no secret that Playa del Carmen's beloved Angel Notion and its founder Lavonna Redman have had a stressful and tumultuous year. Many challenges and obstacles have threatened the very existence of the organization and negatively impacted the many local residents that depend on Angel Notion's programs and services.

While Angel Notion has faced resistance locally, it continues to draw support worldwide from a wide network of passionate individuals and corporations determined to bolster the efforts of the organization so that we may continue to help those that cannot help themselves. Cruise Planners is the latest US based operation to step up to the plate and pledge their support for Angel Notion.

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Services Representative, is the largest home-based travel agent franchise network with more than 700 franchise owners across the country who independently book cruises and associated travel. Every year Cruise Planners organizes an enormous conference with seminars and workshops designed to instruct and inspire their network of franchised travel sellers across the country. Each year, Cruise Planners philanthropic division, CP Cares, raises funds throughout the conventions for a worth charity or non-profit enterprise. This year, for the first time ever, the location for this event was outside of the United States at the Riviera Maya's El Dorado Royal Resort and Spa and Angel Notion was selected as this year's non-profit recipient!

Throughout the convention, Cruise Planner's CP Cares raised over $15,000 usd for Angel Notion! The money was raised via a raffle for the attending franchisees, with prizes such as cruises and airline tickets, through the sale of commemorative T-shirts and caps as well as a generous cash donation from the Cruise Planners home office. In addition, franchisees collectively brought with them nearly 100 backpacks, hundreds of pounds of school materials, reading glasses and first aid supplies to be distributed to local children. The outpouring of support and generosity was really overwhelming.

I had the great pleasure or representing Angel Notion at the convention along with Volunteer Coordinator Lalo Gonzalez, Claudia Munoz and Jorge Carranza. We were on hand to accept the backpacks and supplies brought in by the hundreds of participants, sell the newly redesigned Angel Notion t-shirts and provide information about Angel Notion's many valuable ongoing programs in the community and special missions. It turns out, we didn't have too much explaining to do! Cruise Planners had provided each of the attendees with wonderful information about the organization including the website address so almost everyone was well acquainted with Angel Notion before we arrived!

It was amazing to witness the thoughtfulness and generosity demonstrated by the members of this group. One lovely woman, a teacher, had each of her students prepare a backpack with supplies and enclose a special note intended for the recipient. Especially life-affirming moments for me came during conversations with some of the the Cruise Planners attendees, many of whom are dedicated to charitable causes in their home communities. I met a wonderful couple whose son was born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neuro-genetic disorder for which they have personally raised several hundred thousand dollars to go toward research for this rare affliction. I spoke with a woman working with the poor migrant workers and their families living in the Florida everglades who are exhibiting alarmingly high rates of specific cancers and brain tumors, presumably from yet undiscovered environmental causes. So many people wanted to talk to us about the work Angel Notion is doing and in turn share their own stories.

The Cruise Planners leaders have spent month and months organizing this exciting event and there are countless individuals within the organization who have contributed to the success of this fundraising effort. I can't possibly name them all but I would like to personally thank Michelle Fee (CEO of Cruise Planners), Grace Pineda (Director of Operations) and Monique Minnick (Cruise Planners Travel Agent and Angel Notion supporter) for their role in connecting Angel Notion with Cruise Planners and putting together this amazing event.

In addition to the wonderful people with Cruise Planners, the following businesses all donated prizes to be raffled off during the event. 100% of the proceeds from the raffle were given to Angel Notion and for this we are entirely grateful!

Special thanks to:

Crystal Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line

Avalon

AMA Waterways

Oceana Cruises

Karisma Resorts

Southwest Vacations

Pleasant Holidays

Trafalgar Tours

American Express Vacations

Viking River Cruises

Globus

Effy Jewelers

Princess Cruises

Brendan Vacations

Norwegian Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Holland America Cruise Line

Here are a few pictures from the Cruise Planners event. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen!

Cruise Planners CEO Michelle Fee with Lalo

Cruise Planners Travel Agent Monique Minnick

Lalo and Jorge

Director of Operations Grace Pineda

For more information about Angel Notion, please visit http://www.angelnotion.org.

1st Annual Taste of Playa an Overwhelming Success!

435836 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:53:00 GMT

Finally, after three months of hard work and countless hours of planning and organizing, Taste of Playa went off to rave reviews. The event saw nearly three thousand Playa del Carmen residents and tourists come through the grounds. Some came just to look around. many more stayed to enjoy the fabulous food, the music and the time to catch up with old friends. It seemed that everyone I know was there, eating and laughing under the hot Caribbean sun.

As we hoped, the 25 participating restaurants, bars and specialty food vendors all brought their "A" game to the event. Each one of them, dressed in their best chef whites, put out their signature dishes, the food and flavors that distinguish them as chefs and artists. As I walked through the event, stopping at each of the tables, I was so happy to see everyone smiling and chatting, promoting their businesses and having fun! I am really proud of the event we created and look forward to doing it even better in 2010. There are hundreds of people to thank and I plan to do so very soon. So many people contributed to the success of this event and we are truly grateful for all their support and assistance.

In the end, we consider this 1st Taste of Playa to be a success. The restaurants were all happy and got a lot of promotional bang for their buck. Our corporate sponsors got some good exposure and a chance to contribute to the local community. The attendees, from all reports, enjoyed the atmosphere, the music and, of course, the fabulous food, all for a reasonable price. A lot of people have asked me why we chose to to hold this event in the low season, the toughest time of year for most businesses. Sure. We would have had an even bigger turnout and made a lot more money during the high season when the city is packed with flush tourists, but that is not entirely the point of this festival. It is our hope that Taste of Playa will grow over the years to become a real destination event, something that travelers make their plans around in order to be able to attend. It is our hope that this event, and others like it that will surely follow, will help to shorten the usual "low season" by a week or two and put some much needed cash into the pockets of local businesses. As Taste of Playa grows and becomes more well known, certainly the participants will benefit but so also will the local hotel owners, shop keeps, taxi drivers and tour guides. In the end, the whole city benefits from supporting these community events!

There are many more pictures to come but here is a nice sampling from the day.

2009 has been a challenging year for the business owners in Playa del Carmen and all along the Riviera Maya. Many of the people we approached this year for the 1st Taste of Playa simply could not afford to take part this year due to financial restrictions. The fact that so many people did participate in and contribute to this untested, fledgling event is truly remarkable and I hope we managed to make it all worthwhile and valuable for everyone. In an effort to make Taste of Playa 2010 even better and more successful, we would like to hear your feedback. If you attended Taste of Playa 2009 and would like to give us your comments and suggestions, please complete this quick and easy Guest Survey.

***If you would like use of any of the photos in this entry, please contact stutravelling@yahoo.com.

About Ak Lu'um International School in Playa del Carmen

435836 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:14:00 GMT

Greetings "Life's a Beach" readers. This is an article written for the August newsletter for the regional interest website, SacBe. If you haven't yet signed up for an email subscription to receive this informative publication, you can sign up here. Every month the newsletter is full of informative articles about the Riviera Maya, local events and cultural facts. You can also find information about lodging specials, tours and other travel related services.

Ak Lu' um International School

By Michele Kinnon

Making a choice about a child’s education is perhaps the most important decision a parent is faced with. All children have different needs and interests and investigating all of the educational options available is crucial to finding the school that is right for each child. Over the past decade, the educational options for families living on the Riviera Maya have increased exponentially. While just a few years ago, parents seeking a quality private learning institution for their children were limited to two or three options, there are now nearly a dozen schools to select from with even more opening their doors every year. All of the schools vary in their methodologies, student demographics and facilities. Several of the newer campuses offer tremendous sports facilities and opportunities for students to participate in a variety of competitive sports. Parents looking for a more holistic learning environment may now look to one of the region’s Montessori or Waldorf inspired schools, the most innovative being the Ak Lu’um International School located in Playa del Carmen.

Fundacion Ak Lu’um A.C., the Riviera Maya’s only not for profit privatized school was created in 2006 by educators Siobhan Bowers and Gabriela Nunez. This Waldorf initiative employs a Heart, Head and Hands approach to education and Learning through the Arts methodology is used to teach curricular subjects such as Math, Science and Social Studies. In addition to the nationally standardized curriculum required by the Mexican Government (SEP), children are taught art, music and environmental studies complimented the facilities of the self sustaining jungle campus established in 2008. Students maintain a garden and raise chickens, harvesting the organic eggs for use in the school's kitchen, and participate in a myriad of activities designed to stimulate not just their minds and bodies but their hearts as well. Ak Lu’um School is completely bilingual welcoming students from all over Mexico and across the globe.

Parents with special needs students will also now find a viable option for their school age children. The Waldorf trained teachers successfully integrate physically and developmentally challenged children into mainstream classroom settings, providing a safe and inclusive learning environment where each child is encouraged to reach his or her potential. Currently, 36 percent of the student population is on full scholarship support, ensuring that qualified families are not excluded simply because of their financial position. Parents whose children are receiving tuition assistance are asked to participate in the daily operations of the school, making a valuable contribution with their time and skills.

Ak Lu’um’s non-profit status allows for financial support from corporate and individual donors. Contributions go to expand and improve the physical campus, increase the curricular and extracurricular activities and allow more local children to be admitted on scholarships. This year Ak Lu’um has been chosen as the recipient of funds raised by Taste of Playa International Food Festival. Funds raised by Taste of Playa, scheduled for September 5, 2009, will provide clean and safe drinking water for the students, teachers and volunteers at Ak Lu’um International School for the 2009/2010 school year.

Each of the area’s private schools employs multilingual administrative staff members who welcome questions and visits from parents and can guide new families smoothly through the admission process. With all of the educational options available to families on the Riviera Maya, there is certain to be a school that is a match for your child, one that will support his or her individual interests while providing a well balanced curriculum. Look for a school where your child will be challenged and stimulated and you will help them pave their own road to success.