As medical professionals, my hubby and I were ‘Guest Speakers’ on a cruise line for years. (Cool gig!!) No matter which ountry/island we saw as tourists, scenes depicting poverty were inescapable. Children in rags trying to peddle conch-shells, the vacant stares of homeless locals, and seniors confined to wheelchairs on porches of ‘senior centers’ broke our “achy-breaky” hearts.
An ‘ah-ha’ moment occurred in St. Thomas in 2008 as I meandered three blocks from the pier. Their Salvation Army was serving beans and rice in styrofoam containers to an endless line of ‘ local’s. On the packed ride on an open-air bus taking us from the ship pier to ‘downtown’ I overheard two women sharing who they were ‘sooo bored with shopping, but that’s all there was to do downtown.’
VOILA’!! “What if …..” struck me like a physical brain bolt. Would there be a way to mobilize giving-minded passengers with this short staffed crew literally trying to feed 200+ folks daily?
Back in Central California weeks later, I asked women in a weekly group I was in what they thought. They loved it, and this encouraged me greatly.
This gave me the courage (after 2 margaritas at our favorite Mexican Restaurant) to share it with my left-brained/analytical hubby. He loved it, then cautioned: “I’m sure someone else is already doing this so ya better do some research. ‘Well, with 4 our four boys (ages of 12-22) and me working part time as an RN, I soo hope they are cuz I certainly don’t have the time!! We clinked our drink glasses together while I toasted “Ole’!”
Not one person or organization was doing it. UNbelievalbe, but true, yet I was hesitant to start, yet the idea burned into my heart and brain alike. My middle-class life clashed with the desperate poverty and weariness I witnessed on every cruise from Alaska to Aruba, even in Hawaii.
My hubby Bill helped with the 501C3 paperwork, and together we used use some of the inheritance money I received from my parents. Both had died exactly one year apart on the same day, and the grief at times overwhelmed me. They had LOVED to travel, especially on cruises. It’s to them and another friend Scott Halverson (who succumbed to cancer at age 49) that we launched HOPE FLOATS; their belief in us spurs us onward. A Board of Directors was assembled, each one offering their talents with taxes, publicity, social media/website skills boosting our collective wisdom.
Using our Website, future cruise Ship passengers are booked (on ANY line) to EXISTING charities on 12 different Caribbean Islands to volunteer. These include: Red Cross, Salvation Army, Humane Societies and Enviromental Organizaions. They receive volunteers from 9am-1pm on any given weekday. Fresh after eating a yummy cruise-ship breakfasts, they arrive without jet-lag, ready to help prepare and serve meals for shut-ins, assemble emergency disaster kits, or clean local beaches.
Many bring backpacks chock-full of items from each Organizaions “Wish Lists” found on social media. Toys, stationary items, dog & cat toys, medical supplies, and 3 oz. hygeine items make it feel like Christmas by these amazing passengers, who hand-deliver these goods to locals, much to the delight of charity leaders. A set of $2.00 Marking pens in the U.S. costs 5 times that amount on these islands, so every item is received with joy and gratitude. Passengers return energized by giving of their time and talents on these custom-tailored trips to 1 or all 5 islands on a typical 7-day cruise. More islands and ports are being added as we s l o w l y expand, and visit each charity ourselves. We want each passenger to have the BEST experience possible. All arrangements are made via or website http://www.hopefloats.org at least three weeks prior to your BON VOYAGE moment!
When our first two passengers returned, and wrote: We will NEVER be able to thank you enough for thinking of this idea, and sending us to these incredible charities. It was the BEST ‘vacation’ ever, and the two 50 pound suitcases we brought full of soft-sided pet carriers, crib sheets, staplers, and baby clothing we received with such GRATITUDE and joy…how can we EVER thank you? Our co-workers here in Canada who brought in all these supplies with each email ‘wish-list’ you emailed from each charity are so thrilled as we tell them of our adventures…including meeting the DUKE of Gloucester in Tortola during his Royal Visit at ‘The Children’s Learning Center’ on the very day we were in port!. Keep going, and know that this charity is the BEST one we have ever heard of.”
Whoa! I almost wept in deep gratitude. It spured us onward, and now hundreds of other INCREDIBLY happy testimonies and stories continue. Fromr solo travelers, families, and church and community groups. I
Our Goal? To reach every Port in the WORLD that has a cruise ship visit! Lofty? You bet, yet Voluntourism is the fastest component of the travel industry, and we want to ride this wave of GIVING all the way into each and every needy charity. Our ‘tween-age’ boys gave some of their allowance money to us to give the DIRECTORS of the 13 charities we visited on 1 cruise. “Tell them to use it THEMSELVES for lunch,” they requested. So we did, and ya ought to see the pictures (yes, I have them!) and the joy in the eyes of these weary leaders when they held those crumpled dollar bills up and thanked us over and over.
Volunteers share of ‘grinning ear to ear’ as they return to their ship sweaty, but satisfied to the core after helping those who do not have a voice. This ‘win-win’ has helped us contine to grow adding islands each year. We are helping in over 80% of Caribbean ports, and ready for the next area/challenge!
As medical professionals, my hubby and I were ‘Guest Speakers’ on a cruise line for years. (Cool gig!!) No matter which ountry/island we saw as tourists, scenes depicting poverty were inescapable. Children in rags trying to peddle conch-shells, the vacant stares of homeless locals, and seniors confined to wheelchairs on porches of ‘senior centers’ broke our “achy-breaky” hearts.
An ‘ah-ha’ moment occurred in St. Thomas in 2008 as I meandered three blocks from the pier. Their Salvation Army was serving beans and rice in styrofoam containers to an endless line of ‘ local’s. On the packed ride on an open-air bus taking us from the ship pier to ‘downtown’ I overheard two women sharing who they were ‘sooo bored with shopping, but that’s all there was to do downtown.’
VOILA’!! “What if …..” struck me like a physical brain bolt. Would there be a way to mobilize giving-minded passengers with this short staffed crew literally trying to feed 200+ folks daily?
Back in Central California weeks later, I asked women in a weekly group I was in what they thought. They loved it, and this encouraged me greatly.
This gave me the courage (after 2 margaritas at our favorite Mexican Restaurant) to share it with my left-brained/analytical hubby. He loved it, then cautioned: “I’m sure someone else is already doing this so ya better do some research. ‘Well, with 4 our four boys (ages of 12-22) and me working part time as an RN, I soo hope they are cuz I certainly don’t have the time!! We clinked our drink glasses together while I toasted “Ole’!”
Not one person or organization was doing it. UNbelievalbe, but true, yet I was hesitant to start, yet the idea burned into my heart and brain alike. My middle-class life clashed with the desperate poverty and weariness I witnessed on every cruise from Alaska to Aruba, even in Hawaii.
My hubby Bill helped with the 501C3 paperwork, and together we used use some of the inheritance money I received from my parents. Both had died exactly one year apart on the same day, and the grief at times overwhelmed me. They had LOVED to travel, especially on cruises. It’s to them and another friend Scott Halverson (who succumbed to cancer at age 49) that we launched HOPE FLOATS; their belief in us spurs us onward. A Board of Directors was assembled, each one offering their talents with taxes, publicity, social media/website skills boosting our collective wisdom.