Charity begins at Sea??

As always I found my self scouring the papers for news articles on cruises and cruise companies, I found out the Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital and the goal of bringing the paediatric care $50,000 in donations and services this year at Carnival cruise line have announced on Monday that they are now in partnership. They are looking to invest in the centre providing four new ‘fun centres’ including two new laptops, Nintendo Wii console, a flat screen TV and a digital video disc player combination unit which can be moved between children’s rooms.

They are also providing towel pals... Just like the ones we get in our staterooms, children who are sick may never get to cruise, and would not get to see the creative creatures our cabin stewards rustle up when were not looking! So they will be bringing some into the hospital for the children. 1,000 are due to be donated to the hospital in the next year!


Mike Julius, managing director of U.S. sales for Carnival, described a host of gifts and services coming in 2011 from a colourful stage in the toy-filled atrium at the children's hospital. They are also starting to hold quarterly shows with staff from the Fantasy, the ship that home-ports in Charleston. They are also planning extra fund raising events this year such as Hockey games and the Cooper Ridge Run.


I think this is a great partnership and one other cruise lines could do well to follow suit with so I thoughts Id see who else has partnerships:


Fred Olsen – RNLI in March 2010 – According to their website ‘Funds are raised on board its cruise liners through raffles, quizzes, church services, foreign coin collections and auctions. Fred. Olsen has also supported the charity by donating numerous cruise prizes, which in turn has helped generate funds for the charity through the Lifeboat lottery and other competitions. The money donated by Fred. Olsen passengers has funded three inshore lifeboats, three mobile training units, kitted out three seminar rooms at The Lifeboat College, and paid for the development work on the RNLI's DODO (drive on, drive off) lifeboat launching trolleys, in addition to funding three of them’


Celebrity Cruise line – In April 2010 - The first ever Celebrity SunWalk sponsored by Celebrity Cruises took place in Southampton on April 24 2010 and was organised by Walk the Walk, the leading UK-based grant making breast cancer charity, in partnership with Celebrity Cruises.