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Athletic Voluntourism: Travel, Compete & Give Back!

Locations in this article:  Los Angeles, CA Miami, FL New York City, NY San Francisco, CA

Cruising for a Cause

Even armchair — and wheelchair — cruiseaholics can fundraise. Ever since the early 1990s when Celebrity Cruises brought dialysis machines aboard the M.V. Horizon, kidney patients began to participate in deck-walks (and wheelchair rolls) to support a variety of causes.

Larry Pimentel elevated cruising’s philanthropic efforts. After he had left Cunard, and moved his family to Miami to helm the SeaDream Yacht Club, his wife suddenly died, leaving him with two small, grieving children and no support group. “I adopted a cause, the Children’s Bereavement Center of Miami,” say Pimentel. And so did the staff and crew of Sea Dream II. The Cruise Director initiated a 26-mile deck-walk that raised $10,000 during an Atlantic crossing. Today the SEA DREAM II still donates to the children’s charity.

If you’re looking for an upcoming event, both ship-and-shore voluntourism will occur on the December 12th Crystal Cruise. In the “You Care, We Care” excursion to the Martha II foundation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, “both volunteers (guests and crew) will join the facility’s children and adults in sporting activities modified to accommodate the needs of the disabled,” affirmed Susan Wichmann. The foundation provides educational and psychological support for people with mental and/or physical disabilities.

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