UNIGLOBE Owners Roll Up Their Sleeves
UNIGLOBE Travel (Western Canada) held its annual Owner’s Retreat recently in Cancun, Mexico and it wasn’t all “strictly business” at the Secrets Playa Mujeres where the event was held.
There were certainly plenty of opportunities for UNIGLOBE agency owners and preferred partners to network and discuss best business practices, but members also took time out from the three-day event to help improve the lives of local school children.
Hank Oostveen, VP, Industry Relations, UNIGLOBE Travel (Western Canada), explained: “This is our second year doing this type of give-back event and it’s a great feeling.
Funding for this event comes from our annual UNIGLOBE Spring Conference so we clearly see the dollars raised are put to good use. Working with our UNIGLOBE Owner Group and Preferred Partners on a project like this deepens our relationship through this common cause.”
The 40-strong team of agency owners and industry representatives from Air Canada & Air Canada Vacations, WestJet and WestJet Vacations, Manulife and Transat devoted a day of their retreat to the “One School at a Time” project and helped to refurbish the facilities at the Jose Maria Luis Mora Primaria Escuela primary school.
Jamie Milton, co-owner of UNIGLOBE Carefree Travel in Saskatoon, SK, said: “I look forward to this event each year where we enjoy meeting new friends and working hard to make a difference to the communities we visit. In addition to the work we completed on the desks we also brought down a lot of school supplies and sports equipment for the children.”
Public schools in Mexico receive very little funding and are almost always in need of repair and refurbishment.This is why the team of agency owners and preferred partners rolled up their sleeves and helped to:
- Build a wheelchair ramp with access the schools bathrooms,
- Sand and paint student chairs and tables,
- Assemble new tables and chairs for classrooms,
- Assemble new portable soccer nets and organize soccer equipment, and
- Paint interior and exterior walls.
It’s hoped the team’s hard work will greatly improve the daily lives of the school’s 700 students.
