Cruise Planners Partners with the Dan Marino Foundation's Marino Campus to offer Student Internship Opportunities
Despite having closed its office due to COVID-19, Cruise Planners, the always innovative travel company, continued its commitment to give back and mentor young professionals - through virtual internships
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Oct. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Early in the year, Cruise Planners committed to providing a comprehensive internship experience to prepare young adults of various abilities for independence and job readiness in partnership with the Dan Marino Foundation's Marino Campus. When the COVID-19 pandemic posed a new risk to derail the internship program until next year, Cruise Planners proposed a virtual internship to support the commitment it made to the students. For almost thirty years, the Dan Marino Foundation's mission is to empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Cruise Planners was not going to let any obstacle get in the way of its participants. At Cruise Planners, its diverse team members come from different backgrounds and cultures, yet three things unite the team: a passion for travel, commitment to one another and a shared vision of success.
Unstoppable Innovation
Cruise Planners' Information Technology team was integral in facilitating the internship program, which required students to complete over 300 internship hours. The Marino Campus offers coursework in the areas of independent living and life skills in addition to Hospitality and Computer Technology. Cruise Planners supported the Marino Campus educational model by blending classroom instruction, business internships, and social enrichment opportunities to equip students for a professional career. Students Braedon Shevitz and Chris Landry completed two programs as part of their virtual internship experiences: Microsoft Office Specialist and IT fundamentals. The internship proved to be fruitful as Landry applied his hands-on learning experience from Cruise Planners to land a new job in his chosen field.
"We are extremely excited to have leveraged our technological infrastructure as one of the first virtual internship sites with the Dan Marino Foundation's Marino Campus program," says Vicky Garcia, COO, and co-owner of Cruise Planners. "As the nation's largest home-based travel advisor franchise network, where you can run your business virtually from anywhere, we felt the students could benefit greatly from a remote internship."
CP Cares
For years, CP Cares (https://www.cruiseplanners.com/about-us/cp-cares ), a corporate initiative spearheaded by the organization's leadership has activated its team members to support fundraising efforts and accrue hundreds of hours volunteering for various charities including Shoes for Africa, Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, and, most notably, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS.) Cruise Planners believes that differences in age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, education and background bring richness and creativity to the work environment. Diversity within the Home Office Team and travel franchise community is celebrated.
"We've received a lot of great feedback and excitement from our Home Office Team upon announcing the partnership with the Foundation, which is a testament to our beliefs that diversity and inclusion are integral to creating a community within the workplace," says Garcia.
About Cruise Planners:
Cruise Planners, the nation's largest home-based travel advisor franchise network and an American Express Travel Representative, has more than 2,500 franchise owners who independently book vacations and travel experiences for their clients. Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. since 1994, Cruise Planners provides its travel advisors with access to award-winning, innovative marketing; cutting-edge mobile technology; dynamic, hands-on training; lead generating tools, as well as professional coaching and development. Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line, many land vendors and maintains a philanthropic drive earning an International Franchise Association FranTech award for innovation, the Cruise Lines International Association highest honors, Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly and The American Society of Travel Advisors first-ever Franchise Partner of the Year. Learn more at http://www.cruiseplanners.com
About Dan Marino Foundation:
Founded by Dan and Claire Marino shortly after their son, Michael's, autism diagnosis in 1992. The Dan Marino Foundation has a long and distinguished history of life-changing programs and services, with the mission to "empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities." The Foundation has raised more than $84 million to create and support unique and impactful initiatives. Among these are the Nicklaus Children's Hospital Dan Marino Outpatient Center, the Marino Autism Research Institute, Marino Adapted Aquatics, and Marino Campus post-secondary schools in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. In the spring of 2021, Marino Virtual Learning will premiere offering online courses focused on social competency, independent living, and gainful employment. At the forefront of creating award winning technologies with partners like Google and Magic Leap to reach non-traditional learners, the Dan Marino Foundation continues to be a game changer for children, teens and young adults with autism and other disabilities. For more information, please visit http://www.danmarinofoundation.org or please follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
SOURCE Cruise Planners
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