Reporter Barbara Polichetti writes in a Projo article from 4/25/12:

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 ambassador 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  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.

Pictured above is Collette Vacations employee Sarah Sweet, who recently volunteered with a local partner for the Collette Foundation. She shares her story with us:

During the month of April, Collette is continuing its strong partnership with the McAuley House in Providence by sponsoring their “Lunch on Us” program. As representatives of Collette, Dan Kern and I felt very fortunate to donate a few hours of our day serving lunch to those in need. On the lunch menu was a delicious looking turkey and vegetable soup, sandwiches of all varieties, and dessert! Throughout the afternoon, the volunteers served over 150 local patrons who were in need of a good meal. Unfortunately, we were told during the course of the service that it was actually a slow day for them. It was also a surprise to see that the McAuley House actually offers much more than just home cooked meals. In reality they had educational offerings, religious support, groceries, for anyone who wanted additional food to bring with them, and even had a family Easter egg hunt planned for this weekend. I felt honored and humbled to participate in this program and hope to have the opportunity to go back and work with this great cause.

I just got a letter from my friend, Phillipa from Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) – our Cambodia project — and it honestly made my day. This is a GREAT way to start the week!

Dear Siobhan,

I have just got back from Cambodia  and want to drop you a line as I think of the difference the Collette Foundation has made every time I walk across to the JWOC grounds!  It is so special to walk over and to pass the classrooms full of students, to see the sewing classes hard at work and to hear the little ones chanting their ABC’s in the library; and now the 6 to 8 year old classes are getting going. So much of this was made possible due to you and the Collette Foundation’s generosity — thank you so much.

… As always we are all working together to ensure we maximize the benefit the donations we get brings to the people and I will enjoy staying in touch with you to ensure the Collette Foundation remains part of the excitement and the action!

Best wishes,

Philippa

According to the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre, the UK Office Foundation Site, “Fundraising starts with F-U-N” and that is exactly what our team of volunteers has had for Easter! Lots of F-U-N, fundraising by selling chocolate filled chicks and Easter raffle tickets to raise money for the cancer support centre. Some of our staff donated gifts for the raffle prizes. It was a really nice way to celebrate the holiday and the beginning of Spring!

-Patricia

I just got back from the Tourism Cares 2012 event in Pensacola and what an amazing time it was! Surrounded by 25 fellow volunteers from Collette and hundreds of volunteers throughout the travel industry, we preserved to the best of our ability the Pensacola Lighthouse as well as cleaned up the shores of Pensacola, and you really could see an amazing transformation take place from the time we started in the morning to when we finished in the afternoon. Bravo and hats off to all the hard work and time that was given for this event! It’s a great cause and I am so proud that year after year, Collette volunteers roll up our sleeves with so many other travel professionals and partake.

- Dan Kern (Collette Foundation volunteer)

We just received a nice letter from our friends at Tourism Cares detailing the day in a nutshell:

Our volunteers did it again! Last week in Pensacola, more than 200 travel industry volunteers, representing 80 different companies, came together and made an enormous impact at two sites – the Pensacola Lighthouse and Bayou Texar. In one day, volunteers donated an estimated $25,000 in labor costs. Some key accomplishments of the day:

At the Pensacola Lighthouse:

• Painted 4000ft of fence
• Repaired and painted 5000 pickets
• Painted 23 rooms covering almost 6000sq ft
• Cleared brush from an area covering 2400sq ft
• Laid more than 1800 sq ft of sod
• Planted 660 jasmine and 48 azalea bushes
• Built 2400 sq ft of flower beds
• Mulched more than 5000 sqt ft of flower beds

In addition, Tourism Cares awarded a $5,000 grant to the Pensacola Lighthouse to continue their restoration work there.

At Bayview Park, Bayou Texar:

• Planted 2,500 native salt marsh grasses along 600 feet of shoreline to stabilize the park shoreline and protect it from harmful pollutants and excess runoff
• Hand pulled 500-1000 lbs of root material from invasive reed grass
• Prepared an additional 500 square feet of intertidal area to be planted by removing Phragmites along the shoreline
• Contributed nearly 200 hours of volunteer time in total

The Collette Foundation is proud to partner with Birthday Wishes during the month of April. Their mission is to provide Birthday Parties for homeless children living in shelters here in RI. To celebrate at our headquarters, on Fridays this month, instead of $1.00 for dress down, each department will collect the needed items for “Goody Bags” for these children. At the end of the month, volunteers will sign up to assemble and stuff the goody bags while enjoying “birthday cupcakes” on the last Friday of April. Also, the department that collects the most items per person will win a cupcake party! It is our goal with this drive to help all children, regardless of their living situation, celebrate their birthdays joyfully!

What items we are collecting:

• Clear, see-through birthday bags to stuff and bag fillers as well.
• Yo-yo’s, fun pencils, stickers, bubbles, tiny balls, pocket toys, lip gloss, glitter nail polish, erasers, crayons, note pads, pocket toys, play dough and more.

Happy April!