Today, members of marketing and accounting at Collete donned their Collette Foundation t-shirts to get into the spirit of volunteering at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank — one of the many ongoing projects this week for National Volunteer Week.

On the list of things to do: Organize and package food and toiletries which will get distributed to families in need in the Rhode Island community.

Volunteers returned to Collette at noon after a full morning of hard work, with smiles on their faces. The message shared:

“Giving back always feels good. Doing it with colleagues and friends makes our teams closer and makes doing a good deed that much more fun.”

Job well done, volunteers!

More to come…

The Collette Foundation’s Kenya site, Tenderfeet, continues to thrive allowing children an environment to learn, develop, focus and engage. Below is an account of intereaction that recently took place between a Collette Vacations employee and the children of Tenderfeet.

***This is a guest post from Dan Hoskins, Research Coordinator at Collette Vacations!***

Our trip to Tenderfeet occurred on the last day of a two week safari during which we covered well over 1,400 miles of Kenya’s wilderness and highways. None of the terrain was ideal and was often covered in potholes and rocks. Out of all the roads we had driven on, the road leading to Tenderfeet was the worst. Tenderfeet students take a bus over that road twice a day in order to get to school and surprisingly, they look forward to the ride.

The door to Tenderfeet was an oasis of blue in a world of burnt umber. It was a shock to come from Kenya’s pristine, spacious parks to the urban centers. Trash was everywhere, overflowed from the gutters and sat in giant mounds between buildings.

 Thankfully, there was none in the Tenderfeet compound. The courtyard was green and educational artwork covered the building. The alphabet with corresponding pictograms crisscrossed the walls. The walls were covered with numerals, geometric shapes and math equations. For budding horticulturists, there was even a painting of a flower with all the parts labeled: “stem,” “root,” “petal,” etc.

The Tenderfeet school provides education for 125 students from one of the poorest sections of Nairobi, Kiberia, who have lost either one or both of their parents to AIDs. Without Tenderfeet, these children would not be able to receive an education, despite Tenderfeet only being able to offer education from pre-school to 8^th grade.  The most surprising part of the whole experience was how small the school was. Sizing up the entire compound, the school sat on barely an acre.

Even in our short visit, I could tell that the school was making a difference. We were able to meet with a few classes that performed songs and poems for us. Just from these performances, I could see a level of confidence in the children that they otherwise would not have.

Most members of our group brought presents for the children. For the most part they brought markers, crayons, drawing paper and coloring books. I went a different route and brought soccer balls.

The children were so excited to see us and everyone was extremely touched by the school. As an employee of Collette, they asked me how they can give further. We were able to watch one class in progress, but our presence interrupted their learning because all the children would run over to shake our hands and talk to us.

As we drove back to Nairobi, it was strange how quickly we returned to affluence. We turned a corner and the slums were replaced with nice houses and shopping complexes where the roads were paved.

The word kindergarten, in German, literally means “children’s garden.” I never understood how perfectly that word fit until I visited Tenderfeet.

January proved to be an active month for the Collette Foundation as employees focused on donating their time to the local Rhode Island Food Bank. Collette Vacations’ Product Operations Team contributed to the efforts of the food bank during the morning of January 24^th. Upon arrival, the team took on the task of sorting donated food into individual boxes in order for those boxes to be filled for communities in need. The extra hands enabled the food bank to deliver the household goods and food to the communities in need in a more efficient manner. The Collette Vacations Team donated their time to the food bank’s efforts but in return, received a greater understanding and appreciation for the little things in life.

“Giving back is such a rewarding experience,” Product Operations Team leader Siobhan Siedzik said. “Working at the Rhode Island Food Bank is very humbling. We take for granted going to the store when we need something; we get whatever it is we need and don’t think twice. There are families who rely on donations and the food bank provides them with a wonderful service.”

 

The Collette Foundation received a warming Christmas card this year from our Peruvian site, Hogar de Mercedes de Jesus Molina Orphanage. Partnering with the Peruvian Hearts, the Collette Foundation has been able to support orphaned girls along with providing a daily lunch program allowing for disadvantaged children in the area to receive a hot meal.

The card was directed to our site ambassador and tour manager, Kevin Ferguson. He kindly translated the card to share the kind words.

Season Greetings and thanks for all the support we received from you every time you come to visit our home. Also, the girls join this greeting and send you their fond memories, especially those who are finishing high school in May and are grateful for everything that you have done, because you’re always like a father and a friend that they will never forget. With all these feelings and wishes you a nice Christmas and Happy New Year filled with God’s blessings.

- Hermana Yudith

Upon sharing the Christmas card, Ferguson recalled how much he cherished his time spent at the foundation site.

 “The girls are growing up in front of my eyes and I still cry (after countless visits) when I leave those kids,” he said.

We love how invested our ambassadors and teams become in their sites and are grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside the Peruvian Hearts to support Hogar de Mercedes de Jesus Molina Orphanage.

  

After the tragic Hurricane Sandy swept the east coast, the Collette Foundation took immediate action in helping those locally affected. Once the hurricane had subsided, Westerly Rhode Island had proven to be greatly damaged. In collaboration with the Westerly Chamber of Commerce, the Collette Foundation’s efforts were sent to the historic Andrea Hotel where a small group of employees donated a portion of their Saturday in hopes of restoring the hotel to its former welcoming state.

The restoration of the Andrea Hotel will consist of a two-part process, including both demolition and rebuilding. While assisting in recovery of the hotel, Collette employees provided aid to the demolition project by alleviating debris and ruined objects from the hotel’s rooms, including blankets, mattresses, box springs and towels. 

In addition to donating time, the Collette Foundation made a $5,000 donation to the business grant of the Westerly Chamber of Commerce, which was set in place for all affected businesses not fully covered by their insurance companies. 

Leader of the Collette Foundation’s team, District Sales Manager, Michael Ziegler, held the effort close to heart, as he had been a repeat vacationer to the area.

“The best feeling that I came out there with was how proud I was of my fellow Collette Vacations colleagues,” Ziegler said. “They willingly gave up a Saturday to help me with my efforts to assist the Westerly community. They did such an amazing job and they really encompass everything Collette Vacations means when we talk about giving back. I am so proud to work with such amazing, selfless individuals.”

The Colucci family hopes to continue their tradition of welcoming guests since 1946, as they aim to reopen the Andrea Hotel as a full service oceanfront restaurant Memorial Day weekend.

 

**This is a guest post from Melissa Petrella, Group Operations Coordinator at Collette Vacations!**

There are many benefits of working at Collette Vacations and volunteering is right at the top of the list.  Not only does Collette give so much back to the community, but its employees are also able to share in this gift by volunteering at one of the numerous places in which we are affiliated.  It is a great way to get to know fellow employees, as well as all the people we meet along the way, while being reminded of the value of how we are all connected.

For well over a year now, Lisa Colon and I have been volunteering monthly at the RI Food Bank in Providence.  This past October, we were fortunate to be joined by our fellow employee, Gayle Stevenson.  During this visit at the food bank, we packaged boxes of various hygiene products that will be given out to families in need.  When we finished, we emptied out boxes donated by CVS and put the products in the appropriate labeled bins.  This is always a fun job because you never know what you’re going to find.  You may open one box full of candy bars, batteries, hair products, Halloween decorations and vitamins or you may open an entire box full of mouth wash!  Working at the RI Food Bank, you are working “behind the scenes”, so you don’t get to interact with the general public the way you do at other volunteer centers, so although we worked hard, we also were able to have a few laughs while contributing.

This was Gayle’s first time volunteering at the Food Bank.  Previously, she volunteered from Feb 2011 to May 2012 at Children’s Friend pre-school in Pawtucket where she played with children; helped them learn colors, shapes and numbers; read to them and of course, sang songs!  Lisa previously participated in Pawtucket Pride in 2011, helping out by cleaning up the city and making friends along the way.  In 2010, I volunteered monthly at the St. Edward’s Food Bank in Providence.  Unlike working at the RI Food Bank, you are working with the general public by helping out the other volunteers by re-stocking the shelves and/or handing out food to those in need.

Whether you are working directly with children, working behind the scenes at the Food Bank, keeping a city clean or handing out food to people in need, volunteering is always fulfilling and makes you feel great inside.

 

 

Sonia Smith, active volunteer and Collette Vacations employee, visited the Escuela Jaime Gutiérrez Braum school located in Tierras Morenas, Tilarán, Guanacaste in Costa Rica with her family recently and shares her story with us today:

The small village school has approximately 110 students from preschool through sixth grade with only 2 classrooms to hold all the students. The Collette Foundation is currently working to build a new structure to make room for more classrooms. During my visit, my family and I got a sneak peek at the early stages in the building process. I saw the area that will soon be classrooms where the wonderful children I met can thrive, learn and be inspired.

The current conditions make learning difficult, yet each child I met was so friendly and extremely sweet. They were always smiling, wanting to hold our hands; they loved taking pictures… especially looking at themselves on the camera afterwards. They showed us their classrooms, play areas and even some artwork they had created. These kids have so little and they are so proud of what they do have. They are happy. The experience was very humbling.

The most unforgettable moment for us was when we got to give the students some gifts we had brought with us from the States. We brought a variety of new school supplies for the kids to enjoy and help enhance their learning. They were so appreciative and just so excited.

We left the school feeling truly moved by our visit. On our trip, we learned that “Pura Vida” is a saying in Costa Rica that means “pure life” or sometimes “full of life”… the saying reflects an appreciation for really living. These children captured the Pura Vida spirit and really taught us what it was all about.

Guest Blogger: Kathy Sullivan (Local Collette Foundation Manager)

My two best friends and I met over thirty years ago. All of us had babies and children who were close in age and we lived in the same neighborhood. While our kids played and grew up together, our families became like one extended family. We’ve traveled together and faced life-changing moments with the support of each other. To this day, we play tennis weekly together… and we always play cards together. Recently, we were meeting up to play tennis during the day because Linda, a school teacher, had the day off. While I was at work, I noticed that my Collette Foundation co-worker (blogger, Lynne Talks Local) sent out a volunteer notice with dates and times to volunteer at a local Food Bank.  The day Linda was taking off was on the list and I thought it would be a nice thing for us to do. We all do charitable things on our own and sometimes together (we all work with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital) – and we know from experience that while it’s always fulfilling, it’s just more fun to give back with good friends. So I rang them up and they both said “YES” resoundingly.

We got to the Food Bank at 9am and were escorted into a room where we had to make bags of meals and snacks for kids’ backpacks in Newport, RI.  We were told they needed 500 bags filled with juice boxes, snacks, lunch and dinner items, crackers and cookies; enough for a weeks’ worth of meals, plus snacks for the kids’ parents to pack for them for school.

We did our best in a three hour time period to do 500.  In the end, with our hard work and commitment, we completed 390 bags; it was non-stop for the entire time, minus the required 10 minute break mid-morning.

To work the most efficiently, we set up our own assembly line.  I gathered the drink boxes and snacks, Linda did lunch and dinner meals, and Cathy bagged, tied and boxed our parcels.  We filled three very large boxes stacked five high and four wide.  It was busy work, but we really enjoyed doing it. Being in the company of my two best friends is always so much fun. This experience didn’t lend much time for chatter, but we enjoyed ourselves and mostly, we enjoyed knowing that we were together helping to make a difference in the lives of children.

As noon time came, we finished our last pallet and got ready to leave.  As we were walking out, we ran into four Collette employees who had just arrived and were taking over where we left off, so I know for a fact that the 500 bag goal was met that day, thanks to the Collette Foundation volunteers.

After Cathy, Linda and I left, we got home and sat down. We played cards for a few hours and relaxed and talked about how truly nice it was to volunteer together. We’ve grown together all these years and I was overcome with the feeling that somehow when we do something like this, we witness each other in the best possible light; we wind up being even more appreciative that we’ve had the good fortune of over thirty years of friendship with people that really care about helping. I can’t wait for us to do this again sometime soon.

I had the pleasure recently of sitting down with Jared Venetuolo, an Accounting Manager for Collette, to discuss his work as a mentor at the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club. He shared it all with me — the ups, the downs — and the ultimate reward. Check out Jared’s Story:

Why did you choose to become a mentor?

I didn’t actually. I had been interested in it, gone to a seminar about it, even collected the paperwork. But I was hesitant. I was worried that I wouldn’t be exactly what the child I was matched with needed, that I wouldn’t accomplish the goals of a proper mentor. About a month after the seminar, Collette’s CEO came up to me and told me out of the blue that he thought I should be a mentor at the Club. He said I’d be a good fit. So I decided to give it a try. It was a great decision.

What is being a mentor like?

It’s been great. I’ve been involved since November 2011. I was paired with a 10-year-old boy named Nathan. We meet for one hour each week. Sometimes we work on his math or science homework. I taught him how to play Checkers because he loves to play games. We play a lot of basketball. We talk about school, his goals; it’s great getting to know him. The program took care of the matching and it worked out great.

What is Nathan like?

He is a smart kid. And driven! Even before we were paired as mentor/mentee, he would go to the club every day that it was open. I think he was looking for direction and help. He chose to be there. When he heard that there was an opportunity to have a mentor from Collette, he signed right up. He is only 10, but he has actively pursued any opportunity to better himself and get some guidance. He is a go-getter — and that’s been refreshing and motivating for me as well.

Just because I am his mentor does not mean that he can’t teach me a few things. He does. Weekly.

What has been the most rewarding experience in being a mentor?

When we first met, Nathan would get down easily, get sad or frustrated with little reason. He would say whatever he thought, without thought to the consequences. Jeffrey, the man at the club in charge of the mentoring program, recently told me that my influence on Nathan has been very positive. He told me that he used to be more defiant, talk back and sulk. He told me that he’s become much more positive and sensitive. He said that he talks about me all the time at the club and to his parents. That was such a huge compliment! Jeffrey told me that Nathan says that he can’t get in trouble on Wednesdays because it could cut into his time with me. That means a lot. We have a close bond and I am happy to know that our time has been rewarding for Nathan, too.

A lot of people consider Peruvian Hearts the Collette Foundation’s “first project” and in many ways it was. After all, it was a fateful trip to Peru for Dan Sullivan and members of the Collette team that sparked the idea to do more to give back to the kids around the world, in the communities we visit. I personally am just delighted that the Collette Foundation discovered the foundation, Peruvian Hearts – because it really is a perfect fit and a great experience.

I’ve been the ambassador for Peru for a few years and it’s honestly been a highlight of my career. Being a part of Peruvian Hearts has been an amazing journey. I’ve gotten to see some of the sweet kids at this orphanage grow up. I’ve seen countless passengers from our trips happily interact with them, often finding ways to continue to help the kids, long after they’ve returned home.

So what’s new? On a recent trip to the orphanage, I got to see a new basketball court/soccer court that was erected which the kids love. There are a few boys there now too. The newly improved computer room looks great too!

 

The kids were very excited to see our group, and everyone was dancing.

I showed Sister Graciela the USBs that we brought this time for the kids and they were THRILLED!!

I can’t wait for my next trip back.