On May 23, Bougainvillea Barbados hosted a group of travel agents, including Brita Grieves with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., the CEO of Centre Holidays Carlton Montaut, and 12 agents from Centre Holidays including myself. Our group traveled to Barbados to learn more about the destination.
Our group of agents had taken school supplies to Punta Cana last September and wanted to give back to the local community of Barbados. We looked at the initiatives supported by the resort on the Pack for a Purpose website.
The resort supports the project Variety – The Children’s Charity of Barbados Inc., which is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are mentally, physically or socially disadvantaged. The Aunty Olga Memorial School Aid Programme, supported by Variety, provides school uniforms, books, backpacks and school supplies to over 300 children from 200 families across Barbados, giving them an equal opportunity at education.
As a company, Centre Holidays loves being part of this great initiative and being able to give back to the communities we visit. We encourage other travelers to do the same. It is a different way to experience the destination. The process is very easy. You visit www.packforapurpose.org, select your destination, the accommodation you’re staying at, and then take a look at the items needed. It is important to take only items that are requested.
I personally like the fact that there is clear wish list for items needed which I can share with my friends, family and even my clients prior to traveling. I always get a great response. That is exactly what we did for this trip to Barbados. We received donations from school teachers, students, families, grand-parents…
Our group of agents traveled with WestJet and took advantage of the airline’s complementary humanitarian aid luggage and took over 200 pounds of general school supplies (Paper, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Erasers, Glue Sticks, Handheld Pencil Sharpeners, Markers, Pencils, Pencil Cases/Bags, Rulers, Calculators), dictionaries, books, Knitting Needles, and Wool.
WestJet is an amazing supporter for those wishing to Pack for a Purpose. As long as you follow the packing guidelines on their website, there is no additional cost to take an extra piece of luggage with a maximum of 50 pounds of donation. That is a lot of items one can take!
Even if the hotel you are staying at is not listed on the Pack for a Purpose website, you can still be part of this great initiative. To find out how to do this, check out the FAQ page.
Centre Holidays Inc. would like to thank Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, WestJet, Bougainvillea Barbados, and Pack for a Purpose for making this possible.
We are looking forward to doing it again on our next trip!