| USA. Princess Cruises awards home town heroes with holidays |
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| Monday, 19 December 2005 | |
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Awards news: In a survey commissioned by Princess Cruises earlier this year to mark its 40th anniversary, the line found that homemakers, nurses and teachers rank among the most over-worked professions in America. But that was only part of it. The survey inspired an unusual contest in which respondents were asked to nominate someone they felt most deserved an escape. Surprisingly, the contest generated a record 12,000 entries - more than any previous contest - and offered an opportunity to showcase and celebrate a group of hometown heroes who work tirelessly to comfort and console, inspire and engage. "Naturally, teachers, nurses and homemakers factored prominently among the winners, but the heartening, and sometimes heart wrenching, stories of dozens of selfless individuals kept entryreaders enthralled," said Jan Swartz, senior vice president of customer service and sales, who devised the contest to complement Princess's "Escape Completely" tagline while celebrating the line's 40 years of pioneering innovation. "The contest gave us an opportunity to recognize some truly remarkable individuals and mark our anniversary in a compelling and memorable way," said Swartz. No doubt the winners will not soon forget the commendation -- or the cruise that will follow. Gavin MacLeod, The Love Boat's beloved Captain Stubing, was on hand to surprise selected winners at their homes with a seven-night cruise vacation for two to the Caribbean or Mexican Rivera. The 40 winners came from around the U.S., in professions ranging from law and law enforcement to medicine and social work. Winners included: Mary H. of Florida - A "military mom" who saw four of her own children and one son-in-law off to Iraq and, ever since, has been sending shoebox care packages to troops overseas. With the help of her community and nearly 500 volunteers, she has shipped more than 100,000 shoebox care packages to overseas troops to date. Brad W. of Missouri - A father of three adopted, learning-disabled children and full-time teacher who started an interactive art program for children at risk within the community. Patricia J. of Michigan - A housecleaner and personal assistant who donated a portion of her liver to her boss after just a few months on the job and saved his life. Debbie C. of Arizona - A patient service representative at the Mayo Clinic who has been a long term, single foster parent to seven girls in the past 15 years, in addition to raising her own daughter. Eric M. of Washington - A teacher who has developed a non-for-profit program offered in collaboration with the local police department and school district, which educates kids and teens on the dangers of drunk driving and the importance of making good choices. Amy M. of Massachusetts - A mom with a knack for fund raising who has raised nearly $50,000 to fund a trip for local school kids to NYC, and more than $10,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims in the last year alone. Princess launched the "Help Someone Escape Completely" contest with a national consumer survey in May asking U.S. adult consumer opinions about people's need to "escape." Topics covered in the survey ranged from ways people most escape to the celebrity they'd most often like to accompany on an escape. More than 12,000 people took time to nominate someone they felt deserved a well-earned vacation. Winners are posted at www.princess.com, and site visitors can view video footage of Gavin MacLeod surprising several of the winners with their awards at their homes and offices. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 19 December 2005 ) |
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