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"As travelers, explorers, and members of the world community, our goal is to give something of lasting value back to the world we travel by investing in the future through the education of young people, and supporting the preservation of cultural treasures and traditions."
-Grand Circle Foundation 2005 Annual Report |
Grand Circle Corporation, a leader in international travel, adventure, and discovery for Americans age 50 and older, believes in the power of travel to transform people's lives for the better. So it's natural that the company is using its own resources to do the same.
Established in 1958, Grand Circle believes in giving back to the people and places its travelers visit. According to Maury Peterson, Grand Circle's vice president for People and Culture and Corporate Philanthropy, "We're in the business of changing people's lives. One of the ways we do this is by creating a strong alignment between our business, our philanthropy, and our most important stakeholders: our employees, our consumers, and the communities in which we do business."
Through its nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation, the company has donated or committed more than $30 million since 1992 to organizations in Boston and in 60 countries where Grand Circle operates.
Grand Circle includes visits to many of these community-based organizations in the travel itineraries of its customers.
"All our trips have a strong focus on hands-on learning, personal growth and cultural exchange," says Peterson. "Our travelers actually visit our foundation sites around the world - schools, orphanages, hospitals, theaters, nature conservancies and other community organizations. Essentially, we take a portion of the profits from the travelers' business and give back to the countries where they visit, then let them see how those profits are being spent to enhance the places they travel."
The World Classroom Initiative
Since the foundation's inception in 1992, a focus for Grand Circle has been to build community by focusing on children and youth-related activities and education.
So a natural outgrowth was the company's World Classroom initiative, launched in 2005 as a five-year, $10 million program to foster the education of young people and support the communities where they live.
As part of the program, Grand Circle provides support – funding classroom construction, supplies, teacher aids, sports equipment, and school fees for struggling families – to more than 80 schools around the world in locations including Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
But according to Maury Peterson, the World Classroom project isn't just about supporting schools. "The school is the heart of the community, so that's where we started. In 2006, the project's second year, we did a pilot teacher exchange to allow teacher-to-teacher learning and professional development. Twenty elementary school teachers from the Boston Public Schools and Costa Rica’s Alajuela region were involved in the first exchange, spending 10 days in each of their respective countries to share best practices, undergo training, build school-to-school connections and learn about each other's cultures.
"Next year will be the third year of the initiative. As we move forward, we want to help the communities where these schools are located. We're looking at entrepreneurial activities in these communities, and ways we can help create small businesses or support other income-generating activities to help the local economies."
Corporate citizenship integrated into core business
Peterson says that the Grand Circle's corporate citizenship is integrated into its core business. "Our community service, philanthropy and social responsibility are not just add-ons; these are embedded in the culture of the company.”
As a result, Grand Circle employees have embraced the company's mission. In 2005, 94 percent of employees volunteered in different community service events. Associates evaluate efforts through a semi-annual “report card” through which they grade the company’s performance around social responsibility and other key areas of the business.
In addition, the company operates a Community Advisory Group of 15 long-term nonprofit partners to maximize resources and develop best practices.
"The key to our success is that we have the total and full commitment of owners Alan and Harriet Lewis," says Peterson. "They walk the walk and talk the talk. They understand that people want to be part of something bigger than themselves, and they give them the opportunity to do so."
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