Award-winning travel agency has helped grant more than 100 wishes to children with critical illnesses
Wilmington, Mass. (July 12, 2018) – In 2011, the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company World Travel Holdings forged a partnership identifying
Make-A-Wish® as its signature charity. Since then, the travel company has raised more than $100,000 each year, and in 2018 reached a fundraising milestone exceeding $1 million in donations and granting more than 100 wishes to children with critical illnesses.
“My brother Jeff and I believe in the importance of instilling a strong corporate culture of giving back and because of our shared values and the fact that more than 75 percent of wishes involve travel, Make-A-Wish proved to be a natural fit,” said Brad Tolkin, Co-CEO/Chairman of World Travel Holdings. “I am in awe of how our employees have rallied together around one cause and shown support year-after-year.”
World Travel Holdings makes it easy and fun for employees to support Make-A-Wish and get involved. The fundraising fiscal year kicks off each July with a special promotion where direct-to-consumer brand CruisesOnly donates $5 for every booking made that month, up to $25,000. This promotion also gives customers the opportunity to make a matching $5 donation. Fundraisers held each year include the popular gift basket fundraiser where employees create themed baskets which are raffled, participation in local Walk for Wishes® events around the country and the opportunity for employees to give back each paycheck through payroll deduction. Its Home-Based division, which includes franchise owners with Dream Vacations and CruiseOne and independent vacation specialists with host agency Cruises Inc. also gets involved aboard a cruise ship each year during its weeklong National Conference with fundraisers such as pie in the face, a silent auction and Zumba at sea. In addition, each year one of World Travel Holdings’ corporate offices hosts a sendoff party for a local wish kid themed around the destination to which they are traveling such as a Hawaiian Luau. As a result of all these efforts, in 2017 Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida recognized World Travel Holdings as its Corporation of the Year.
“We have seen the direct impact of World Travel Holdings’ culture of giving back through the wishes made possible through the generosity of the company and its’ employees each year,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish America president and CEO. “Wishes matter. They are an important part of a child’s medical journey and we are grateful to partners, like World Travel Holdings, for their shared passion and commitment for providing life-changing wishes for wish children and their families.”
Giving back is an integral part of the culture at World Travel Holdings. In addition to its company-wide support of Make-A-Wish, the travel company provides all employees with one paid volunteer day a year that they can use supporting any organization of their choice. The company also has a Volunteer Day Hub on its Intranet that not only provides employees with ideas on ways to give back, it highlights employee Volunteer Day experiences inspiring others to make a difference in their communities.
To learn more about World Travel Holdings and its community involvement, visit www.WorldTravelHoldings.com.
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About World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings is the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 40 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations, cars and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, including almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country’s original host agency, and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in work-at-home employment. Its global presence includes operating multiple cruise and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Wilmington, Mass.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Virginia Beach, Va.; New York, NY; and Chorley, England. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 35,000 volunteers across the U.S., grant a wish every 34 minutes, on average, somewhere in the country. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 300,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and its territories; more than 15,400 in 2017 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.