Vacationing Chef

Published on: March 26, 2010

From Travel Pulse Newsletter 3/25/10

Carnival Cruise Lines has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to launch a fund-raising initiative with a goal of raising $3 million over the next three years. St. Jude is a premier center for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The program, called “Care to Play: Carnival for St. Jude Kids,” kicks off the week of March 28 aboard all 22 Carnival ships. The shipboard fund-raising is the second phase of the Carnival-St. Jude partnership that began late last year with the line’s initial $50,000 donation. Funds were raised through Carnival’s “Virtual Book of Dreams” contest that asked kids to share their dreams for an opportunity to become the cruise industry’s first waterslide godchild.
Onboard, Care to Play activities include the “Groove for St. Jude,” which allows guests to make a $10 donation and “groove to the music” in one of the ship’s dance clubs with sounds provided by a DJ. Guests receive a Care to Play T-shirt and wristband and 100 percent of their donation goes to St. Jude.
Another component is Carnival’s Teddy Bear Workshop, in which children from the Camp Carnival program can build their own cuddly St. Jude keepsake bear. Kids can also customize their bear with doctor’s apparel, including scrubs, surgical mask and lab coat. One hundred percent of profits, after all related expenses, benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additionally, copies of the “The Dream Plucker of Perrysport,” a children’s book based on stories and illustrations submitted by Camp Carnival participants, will be sold shipboard for $5.95. One hundred percent of the purchase price of this item will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Several hundred copies of the book have also been donated to the hospital.
Carnival also is auctioning off the baseball bat signed by All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the World Champion New York Yankees; the bat was used in the Carnival Dream’s naming ceremony in New York. Those interested in bidding on this commemorative item can visit www.carnival.com/stjude,  a website that highlights the Carnival-St. Jude partnership. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The site also includes a two-minute video on Carnival-St. Jude initiatives, a listing of the line’s yearly progress toward its fund-raising goal, and a link to St. Jude’s website where visitors can donate directly to the organization. For more information, visit www.bookccl.com  or www.stjude.org.