• Previous
• Next

Team Peru is excited about our upcoming Book Fair!

WHEN: Thurs, June 14 9:00 to 5:30 & Fri, June 15 9:00 to 5:30

WHERE: Collette Vacations’ headquarters | Training Room “A”

WHAT: We are hosting this book fair, which promotes literacy for children, to raise funds and awareness for the Collette Foundation’s Peru Project! In fact, all proceeds from the book fair will benefit the Hogar de Mercedes Girls Orphanage! An amazing selection of books is headed our way! At the Book Fair you will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as books of interest to parents. Mark your calendar, and stock up on great summer reading!  We are also accepting contributions to our book collection for The Hogar Orphanage. The Book fair is a great way to get everyone excited about reading. Here’s a brief video that will motivate students to read all summer:  http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/rwrvideo2012.htm

Team Peru thanks you for your support!  All proceeds go directly to the purchase of desperately needed books for the girls!

See you at the Book Fair!

-Team Peru

Congratulations to the Collette Foundation’s “Mod Squad.” These enthusiastic March of Dimes Walkers raised over $5,000 at their recent walkathon. The Collette Foundation is proud to match their team efforts with a matching grant to bring their total contribution to over $10,000 in 2012.

Great job team!

• Previous
• Next

I cannot express what a wonderful experience Team Canada had recently during a very hands-on exploration of our project: The Young Naturalists of Stanley Park – a part of The Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) – the Canada project for the Collette Foundation. It was called “A Day at the Park” — and in attendance were about 30 people including the Young Naturalist kids and their accompanying parents. Also in attendace were staff from SPES, Collette staff from our Langley office as well as Bethany Manchester, the Canada Product Manager and several tour managers who visit this park regularly on tour. Adults and children alike rolled up their sleeves and were active participants in this great outdoor experience.

We were all so thrilled to get involved with a day of activities with the Young Naturalists. SPES calls this beautiful park a big classroom — and for me, it was wonderful to walk through such a fascinating classroom. I definitely learned so much as did the ever-eager children. The day started out with kids and SPES staff taking a stroll around Lost Lagoon and identifying local bird species (migratory, over wintering, and local among them) and discussing different habitat requirements for birds, ways to conserve and create habitats (planting native species at home, strategies the Park could practice, and how the city could execute plans to help).

Older kids (aka Collette staff and friends) took part in invasive species removal in the park while the kids explored and learned more about bird habitats. The absolute best part of the day for all was when the “Big” kids and little kids alike convened at the Nature House to create ‘birdie buffets!’ Some might call them giant pine cone bird feeders. It was messy and interesting and an absolute blast.

SPES did a stand-out job creating the theme and activities; it was perfect for the spring season as migratory birds begin to find their way back through and into Stanley Park and local neighbourhoods.

After the lunch break, the team embarked on a dedicated walk early in the afternoon on trails that allowed SPES to explain the cultural and ecological co-evolution of Stanley Park and how SPES is engaged on all levels from advice to Park Board regarding endangered species to active habitat enhancements and the education made available to schools, the public, tourists and locals alike.

It was an unforgettable – but most of all FUN – experience for all. For me, I got to see up close the program in action that the Collette Foundation supports. The look on the children’s faces, their enthusiasm, the passion of SPES, and the pride of the parents present… it made me feel truly proud to be a part of this.

-Brett Walker

Last Saturday, Race Co-chairs Jeni and Seth Wilson helped “Team Jake” raise over $4,000 in donations to support the mission of ALS in RI. The Collette Foundation was a gold sponsor to the event. The team was so thankful to its volunteers who helped Jeni and her family surpass their goal in fundraising and donating 24 hours of volunteer time to this worthy cause!

One of the team captains, Seth Wilson, writes below about the rewarding experience:

We had a record turn-out of nearly 700 runners this past Saturday and the weather turned out to be fantastic.  We are still finalizing a few of the numbers but it is looking like our race this year, between sponsors and registrants, raised right around  $72,000… Last year’s donation was $55,000 so this is looking to be another record breaking year for both us and them. 

We have been told that this race amounts to about 20% of all donations raised for this wonderful organization so we truly are making a difference.  Recent studies have shown that ALS patients that attend the ALS clinic here in RI, which is funded by our donation each year, live about nine months longer than patients who do not attend.  Nine months may not seem like a very long time but for someone who has ALS, nine months is a lifetime. There is new research being conducted as we speak in the hopes that one day we will be able to say we have won the fight against ALS.  Until then,  all I can say is that I am proud to have the support of each of you and to know that you too are helping in this fight.

In 2012, Tourism Cares teamed up with over 200 members in the travel industry to help preserve and restore the Pensacola Lighthouse.  Collette Vacations employees donated their time and energy to make this event a huge success! Enjoy the video! If you’d like to read about the accomplishments of this day, click here.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.  –  When the Pawtucket-based Collette Vacations signed on to be a corporate sponsor of lunch programs at the McAuley House several years ago, its employees were dedicated to keeping the commitment.

According McAuley House, Collette Vacations has not only continued to contribute to the lunch program, but its employees continue to volunteer their time every April, serving meals to people who are homeless or struggling financially.

On Wednesday, in honor of April being National Volunteer Month, McAuley House presented Collette Vacations with a special award.

“We are lucky that we have some great corporate partners and Collette is one of those that has been faithful to us,” the Rev. Mary Margaret Earl, associate director at McAuley, said.

Drum Atweme was formed in the early 90′s as an answer to the needs of aboriginal at-risk youth, particularly girls. The focus of the program is to create a positive influence and healthy atmosphere through the use of traditional music. The group consists of Aboriginal girls from the ages of 6-13, who must remain in school to be part of the program.

On a recent Australia tour, travelers were excited to witness a performance from the energetic and talented girls of Drum Atweme. The travelers thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They were able to spend a little extra time with them as well after they performed. They really took to the girls and the same was true for the young performers; the girls loved the opportunity to meet these people from another country and tell them their story.

I am so excited to announce the Collette Foundation will be working with two great organizations which both operate with the mission to put free books into the hands of children in-need, “making a difference in the life of a child one book at a time.”

• Books Are Wings allows Blackstone Valley, RI children to receive free books through events at the Central Falls Library and in the Central Falls and Pawtucket schools. Book party events include story time, crafts and refreshments. Kids get to walk around, scope out the selection, and select their own book to take home!
• Reach Out and Read partners with doctors’ offices. This pediatric literacy program distributes free books to children during their visits and advises parents about the importance of reading aloud.

The Collette Foundation strongly believes in the importance of literacy for children, and actively works to engage them in the benefits and joy of reading. Click here to read about a Collette Foundation amabassador reading to local children recently.

I received word from our friends from Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC), our Cambodia project, in regards to our donations in late 2011 in response to the flooding there.

Dear Siobhan,

In 2011 The Collette Foundation kindly donated to our Emergency Appeal to help us carry out relief and recovery work in response to the regional floods. I’m writing today to direct you to our latest project update where you can see how you helped make a difference.

The road repairs were completely finished in February 2012, and it has been used for many different activities by villagers. On March 30th, 2012, Community Liaison and Assistance Team spent a full day to conduct observation and interviewing with some different people using the road. In total we observed 354 people using the road, mostly using bicycle or motorbike, showing it is well used.

The most common uses of the road were children going to school, going to the market (to buy and sell) and going into Siem Reap town to work as a laborer. All of these activities are important for people’s economic situation. Other than these common uses we also found people travelling to the the health clinic, visiting family and going to work in another area. Everyone interviewed agreed that with the road rebuilt recently it helped and supported their travelling to their destinations quicker and felt safer on the smooth road.

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.