Overland
Park, KS – July 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Approximately 42 percent of
Americans said they didn’t take a single vacation day last year according
to a 2015 survey. Global Connections
Inc. (GCI), a travel club fulfillment and service provider, decided
to help put an end to this by giving six lucky families their dream “bucket
list” vacations.
After
reading more than 500 entries received over five weeks, what originally
started out as simply a way to get input from members about where they
wanted to vacation turned into something much more than that. “Their letters
were so compelling and heartfelt we decided to respond with an answer to
their dreams. We just thought they would tell us where they wanted to go,
but the whys touched our hearts,” said Stacey Gregory, Creative Director
for GCI.
The
main reasons why respondents wanted to go on their bucket list vacations
included spending time with family, tracing their ancestry, celebrating
anniversaries, and visiting historical sites. Among the hundreds of responses
received, the top vacation destinations were Hawaii, the Caribbean, Ireland,
Alaska, Italy, Australia, national parks, California, France, and road
trips across the USA.
Corey
Thibodeaux, Social Media Manager for GCI, said, “We received so many wonderful
responses through social media that we couldn’t decide. We narrowed it
down to seven and even then still needed help sifting through those.” Ultimately,
the company decided on six deserving families.
Queshaun
Canty, a construction worker in Belvidere, Illinois, has not been able
to take a vacation in the last 22 years. His main reason for wanting to
go on a vacation was to spend time with his wife, Mahlonne. “I am tired
and need some time off and quality time with my wife.” The couple will
travel to the Caribbean together next summer.
Similar
to Queshan Canty, Diane Walker of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania also wanted
to take her dream vacation in order to be able to spend time with a loved
one. Walker’s nephew, Aamir, lost his father to diabetes eight years ago
and recently celebrated his 14th birthday. After reading her heartwarming
response, the company decided to make their dreams come true and give the
two a trip to Disney World this summer in order to properly celebrate.
“His birthday just passed and so I wanted to be able to take him there,”
said Walker. After receiving the news that he would be travelling to Orlando
with his aunt, Aamir responded with the quintessential, “I’m going to Disney
World!”
Disney
World proved to be a popular choice destination amongst the Bucket List
contest winners. Noblesville, Indiana resident Gloria Coyle’s adopted seven
year old son, La’trell, has been asking to go to Disney World for years.
When asked what Disney characters he was looking forward to seeing, La’trell
said his favorites were Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto. Not only was La’trell
given the exciting news of travelling to Disney World with his family,
but the company also surprised him with Disney gear, including a plush
Mickey Mouse toy.
Having
a family of six kids, Ryan and KaDawn Webb of Colorado Springs, Colorado
found it difficult to plan vacations despite their desire to travel out
of the country and show their children other cultures. GCI in partnership
with Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club were able to make their dreams a
reality by giving their entire family an all-inclusive stay in the Dominican
Republic next year.
Two
more winners await the Bucket List wish reveal to their families. One granted
wish is for a family reunion in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina while the
other is another Disney trip for a family of four. “We don’t want to spoil
the surprise just yet so we can’t give away those details,” explains Thibodeaux.
Each
winner received the accommodations, a $500 voucher to use for airfare from
Global Connections Travel Agency and attraction tickets. Tom Lyons, CEO
of Global Connections, said the project was personally important to him
because, “Spending time with family is sacred and vacations are one of
the best ways to spend time with loved ones. Disengaging from ‘normal’
life without distractions brings you closer to your family.”
About
Global Connections, Inc.
Global
Connections, headquartered in Overland Park, KS, is recognized as a leader
in the travel club industry offering its members a host of benefits and
vacationing options to more than 700 North American resorts. Global Connections
is the owner, developer and manager of resorts in California, Florida,
Colorado and Tennessee as well as owning and leasing multiple resort condominium
units throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
For
more information, visit www.exploreGCI.com.
For
more information regarding Global Discovery Vacations, visit www.GlobalDiscoveryVacations.com.
Global
Vacation Web TV YouTube Channel
Contact:
Melanie
Gring
561-417-7559
Global
Connections, Inc.
Media:
Georgi
Bohrod
619-255-1661 |