Cruise Planners’ Beverly Brean Named Woman of the Year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®
Coral Springs, Fla. (PRWEB) June 09, 2016 -- On Saturday, Beverly Brean, a Home Office Team member at Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, was named the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society® (LLS) Woman of the Year. Cruise Planners managed the 10-week fundraising campaign in Brean’s memory as a way to celebrate the life of Brean, a member of Cruise Planners’ Business Development Team until her passing in February.
“Having Beverly as our nominee for Woman of the Year ignited our team’s giving spirit in ways I’ve never seen,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. “Every fundraising event was carried out with an energy that mirrored the passion Bev brought to our office.”
Cruise Planners has been involved in LLS since 2012 when COO, Vicky Garcia was first nominated and named Woman of the Year. In 2014, Fee followed in those footsteps after raising a record-breaking amount, and this year the company campaigned for Brean to celebrate her vivacious spirit, love of life and commitment to helping others.
LLS’s Woman of the Year is a prestigious national campaign that focuses on raising money for the fight against blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Each candidate raises money during a 10-week campaign, with each dollar raised counting as one “vote” and Brean’s campaign raised the highest in Fort Lauderdale with nearly $150,000 raised. When Brean was named Fort Lauderdale’s Woman of the Year winner, Fee accepted in her honor.
Fee said, “Through our efforts, we’ve collectively fund raised, campaigned and donated more than $1 million to LLS, which make us proud.”
The Cruise Planners team held in-house fundraisers for “Team Bev” every week of the campaign, including themed lunches, online auctions, and a comedy night hosted by Vanessa Joseph, the LLS Girl of the Year. Supporters throughout the travel industry and the Cruise Planners franchise network also contributed to the campaign.
“I am inspired by how the Cruise Planners family came together to remember Beverly,” Fee said. “Year after year, the Cruise Planners team is passionate about giving back and making a positive impact.”
About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 1,400 franchise owners who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients. The Florida-based Home Office Team positions franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing, booking and lead-generating tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be lauded and has been named the No.1 Cruise Tour / Travel Agency by Entrepreneur magazine for 13 consecutive years. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is listed on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America and was recognized as one of the “Top Workplaces” by The Sun Sentinel.
Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. with more than 22 years of experience, Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line. Accolades include numerous Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly for the past seven years, American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for 11 consecutive years (2004 – 2014), American Express Agency of the Year (2010), Royal Caribbean International President’s Award for Overall Achievement (2012 and 2014), Royal Caribbean International Home-Based Partner of the Year (2007 – 2013), Norwegian Cruise Line Franchise Agency of the Year (2011-2015), Celebrity Cruises Field Sales Account of the Year (2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Account of the Year (2013-2014) and Celebrity Cruises Southeast Region Travel Agent Partner of the Year (2010), American Express Vacations Best of the Best Globe Award (2008 – 2015), Globus Family of Brands Premier Agency Partner (2009- 2014), Platinum Member of the 500 Club for Sales Excellence (2014), Platinum Circle Member with Viking River Cruises (2009-2012), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Top Producer (2008-2014) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Top Producer. Cruise Planners is one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, has been named one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com.
Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room, following us on Twitter @Cruisitude or on Facebook. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit our franchise site.
Caitlin Murphy, Cruise Planners, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, +1 (954) 344-8060 Ext: 117, [email protected]
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