All posts by admin

SPCA Israel – Great place to Volunteer for Animal Lovers – Voluntourist Review

SPCA Israel – Great place to Volunteer for Animal Lovers – Voluntourist Review

While Israel is an amazing country to travel in, one upsetting thing to see is the amount of stray cats. There are homeless dogs too, but more feral cats than anything. There are about 2 million—yes 2 million—stray cats in Israel.

You literally can’t walk anywhere without seeing one and as an animal lover, it’s unbearable to me. So I decided to volunteer while I was there to try to help any way I could. Yes, I know I wasn’t solving the problem, but some help is better than none.

I signed up with SPCA Israel, which is Tel Aviv’s largest animal shelter, and they take in as many animals as possible. That said, there’s too many for the small staff to take care of on their own, so they need volunteers.

Heather Newgen volunteering at SPCA

What I did was take dogs out of their cages and walk them around the yard. That helps more than you know because not only are you allowing employees to take care of duties volunteers can’t perform, but you’re making the biggest difference in a dog’s day.

When they’re in a cage all day with other dogs, they start to go crazy and become aggressive. They need to get out, get exercise and have human interaction. They are so much happier when they have some freedom and love.

Volunteer at SPCA

In addition, I also played with the cats who loved the attention as well.

This is such a great volunteering opportunity because SPCA is a wonderful, responsible organization that’s dedicated to enhancing the lives of as many animals as they can. And you can help them simply by hanging out with dogs and cats all day. You don’t need special skills—you just have to love animals.

There’s no fee to volunteer. You can stay as long as you’d like and come as many days as your schedule allows.

You really do make a difference by spending a few hours here. I definitely suggest everyone donate at least a couple hours of their time. The animals greatly appreciate it.

Check out this vlog I did on SPCA. You can see what my experience was like.

Leave a comment

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is the Perfect Family Volunteering Vacation

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is the perfect family volunteering vacation. With more families choosing to give back on their holidays in an effort to educate their children on global issues, instill them with values and compassion and to help others in need, it’s important to find the right program that fits in with the expectations of your family, but one that’s responsible.

Heather Newgen Profile PhotoBy: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

While children are in the process of establishing and developing a specialized skill, it’s essential to only perform tasks that don’t require a professional background in order to make the biggest impact and volunteer responsibly. So working in areas of teaching, construction and the medical field aren’t great options. However, working with animals is always a good choice because you don’t need training and many projects can be done with just the supervision of a parent.

Heather Newgen spending time with Puffet
Photo by: Michael Lee

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is a no kill non-profit animal shelter with locations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Kanab, Utah, which is where I volunteered. The organization is legendary for the VIP treatment of the furry friends they rescue and help get adopted.

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary offers a variety of volunteer programs to choose from where you’ll do everything from walking dogs to brushing cats to cleaning bunny cages, which was my assignment.

Heather Newgen cleaning bunny cages
Photo by: Michael Lee

The rabbit runs need to be cleaned once a day, so volunteers at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary are crucial because staff members can’t take care of this project and their main responsibilities. So volunteers make a big difference and help the facility keep a happy, clean and healthy home for so many animals.

Mr. Giggles
Photo by Michael Lee

That said, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is a great place for families to volunteer together because children as young as six-years-old can do certain projects, it’s free to volunteer, and Kanab, Utah is a beautiful place to vacation.

You’re only about an hour and a half away from Bryce Canyon, about two hours away from Zion National Park and an hour and twenty minutes from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Zion National Park
Photo by: Heather Newgen

Zion National Park
Photo by: Heather Newgen

In the summer, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab books up quickly, so reserve your spots now. Here are the different areas you can work in:

Dogtown– Must be at least 10 and must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Nobody under 14 can walk dogs alone.

Cat World– Must be at least 6 to volunteer and must be accompanied with an adult at all times.

Puffet hanging out in the welcome center
Photo by: Michael Lee

Laetitia has the perfect spot to chill Photo by: Heather Newgen

Horse Haven– Must be at least 12 to volunteer at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and must be accompanied with an adult at all times.

Marshall’s Piggy Paradise– Must be at least 12 to volunteer and must be accompanied with an adult at all times.

Bunny House– Must be at least 8 to volunteer and must be accompanied with an adult at all times.

Hey Harry Potter fans!! Meet Hermione, Ginny, and Luna
Photo by: Michael Lee

Heather Newgen playing with Oliver
Photo by: Michael Lee

Parrot Garden– Must be at least 8 to volunteer and must be accompanied with an adult at all times.

Wild Friends– Must be 18

Angels Rest– Must be at least 12 to volunteer and must be accompanied with an adult at all times. (This is the final resting place for sanctuary animals).

Things to know:

One adult can supervise up to three children while volunteering.

You must have a car to get to your volunteer placement.

There’s a cafe at theBest Friends Animal Sanctuary that’s open from 11:30am to 1pm and serves a vegetarian $5.00 all you can eat buffet. You must go just for the view, but the food is amazing as well.

View from the cafe
Photo by: Heather Newgen

There’s a morning shift from 8:15am to 11:30.

The afternoon shift starts at 1:15pm to 4pm.

You must attend orientation at theBest Friends Animal Sanctuary beforehand and if you’re late you can’t volunteer.

To sign up to volunteer go to the website for instructions.

If you’re unable to volunteer at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary there are free daily two hour tours of the sanctuary. And if you’d like to bring donations, there’s always a need for blankets and toys.

And finally there are several lodging options in Kanab around the sanctuary. Click here for more details.

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is a family friendly place where your kids can learn the value of giving back in a fun and safe environment while making a positive impact on the community. However, it’s also great for solo travelers like myself, couples and groups of friends. It’s an incredible experience that I recommend everyone do at least once.

Leave a comment

United By Blue is Leading the Ocean Cleanup Movement and Volunteers are Welcome

Apparel Brand United By Blue is Leading the Ocean Cleanup Movement and Volunteers are Welcome

Since its inception in 2010, United By Blue has not only used organic and recycled materials to create practical, yet stylish outdoor gear, but the apparel company has also been a driving force in sustaining a meaningful environmental impact.  For every item purchased, the retailer removes one pound of trash from the ocean and encourages local communities to get involved in the effort with their hosted cleanups that take place regularly.

Photo by: United by Blue

United By Blue has made a significant tangible change with over 1 million pounds of trash removed to date and has quickly become a leader in the philanthropy business industry.  At the annual International Travel Goods Show in Las Vegas where top travel brands reveal their latest products, United By Blue was honored with the Community Service Award for the social and environmental aspects of their company culture.

Derby Tier Backpack
Photo by: United by Blue

While United By Blue has already made a remarkable positive impact, the company is looking forward to increasing their achievements.

At the International Travel Goods Show, Jake Nalls, Wholesale Associate, told The Voluntourist, “We’ve activated over 10,000 volunteers and have done cleanups in 28 states and have removed over 1 million pounds of trash nationwide. The initiative this year is a cleanup roadtrip. We’re going to hit the additional states we haven’t been to yet, so by the end of 2018 we’ll have done cleanups in all 50 states.”

Albright Rain Shell
Photo by: United by Blue

He added, “The goal for 2018 is also 500,000 pounds of trash removed and then every year following that we should be doing over 1 million pounds of trash a year based on where the company is going in sales.”

Bison Chopper Mitts
Photo by: United by Blue

So how can people volunteer? You can go to their website for the latest details on the locations, dates and how to sign up.

But it’s not just volunteers doing the work. Unite By Blue is heavily involved. Jake explains, “We actually have a cleanup team that is on staff and works in the same office as the rest of us. They go out and find areas that could use a cleanup and organize the logistics. We have three of our own retail locations, two in Philly and one in New York and we do a ton of cleanups in both of those areas. Our entire team from the product designers to our CEO and co-founders are out participating in those cleanups.”

Photo by: United by Blue

Each cleanup event is about two hours long and has an average of 200 volunteers.

For more information on United By Blue click here.

For more information on the International Travel Goods Show click here.

How a Team of Hair and Makeup Artists Helped Puerto Rico “Feel Human Again”

While Puerto Rico officials are still forced to make calls for aid amid food, clean water and power shortages due to Hurricane Maria, volunteers are stepping up to help the island in unconventional clever ways. Lou Rod Cueva, Founder and CEO of MLR Artist Management, and his creative team of professional hairstylists, makeup artists, and manicurists, are some of those volunteers.

By Heather Newgen

Lou Rod Cueva in Guayama, Puerto
Photo by: Nathan Alan

“My family, including my grandparents and mother, were both impacted by the hurricane. It broke me. This project was so meaningful and purposefully because it hit so close to home. I promised them that we would do something about this,” Cueva told The Voluntourist.

So he gathered members of his agency and headed to Puerto Rico to give back, but not in the typical way you’d expect. His team gave free makeovers to locals and the response was incredible.

Nathan Alan
Photo by: Lou Rod Cueva

“Everyone we were in the presence of was so warm and welcoming and fun,” Sparklle Thames, a makeup artist said.

Sparklle Thames in Guayama, Puerto Rico
Photo by: Lou Rod Cueva

“I feel like our industry is about glamour and vanity, but we have huge hearts and we like to make people feel good. That’s why I’m in the profession I’m in. There’s nothing better than seeing someone smile or giving them confidence or just making their day, and that’s why I was very excited to be part of this trip,” Brandy Castillo, a hairstylist told us.

Brandy Lazaro Castillo with the stylish Gloria Colón in Guayama, Puerto Rico.

She continued, “Being in Guayama was phenomenal. Everyone was so sweet, so kind and so open and so thankful. They were so patient, even after such a crisis and they were so loving and caring. It was a beautiful thing to see. I’m very blessed to be a part of this.”

Cueva, who launched his Boston-based company in 2010 added, “A lot of times when you think about giving service after such devastation, you think about rebuilding a home or getting water supplies or food supplies–those are the basic needs to survive. We’re not necessarily building houses here. We’re not in those types of industries or trades, but we were able to use a trade that we specialize in. We were able to create a project where we’re providing comfort, we’re providing luxury services that is the first that’s taken away from individuals because they’re trying to make ends meet.”

Photo by: Nathan Alan

And he’s right. Most people would never think of using skills like these artists have to volunteer after a natural disaster, which is what makes this effort that much more inspiring and remarkable.

Cueva explained how he came up with the idea.

“We were using a trade that doesn’t get a lot of respect sometimes,” he said. “We feel as a group there’s more to this story than just cosmetics it’s about looking good and feeling good. I think Dove has really championed that. These people were going weeks and weeks and weeks without taking a proper shower or having access to cosmetics or grooming supplies. Having them feel human again, and having them feel that pride–Puerto Ricans are very strong people. They take pride in their appearance. It can be hurtful to them when they don’t feel confident because of the devastation. We really wanted to bring that back to them and I think we achieved that goal.”

Cassandra Lisi Photo by: Lou Rod Cueva

In two days, the team serviced between 150-200 people, which included Jetblue employees who worked tirelessly to help people in Puerto Rico right after the hurricane hit the island.

MLR Artists giving free makeovers to a local community in Puerto Rico
Photo by: Nathan Alan

“What I have to offer is great. It doesn’t necessarily seem like an important thing, but it was important. I saw the look on these people’s faces. Me massaging lotion on their face and adding powder and some lipstick was important, almost as important as being able to build something with my hands,” Thames said.

One of the many sponsors who donated products for the event
Photo by: Nathan Alan

In addition to the complimentary grooming services and makeovers, several sponsors like UNITE, Color Wow, Pinrose Scents, Elizabeth Grady, The Cue, Blo Blow Dry Bar-Sound End, and Trinity Church of California donated items for gift bags that were given to people. And Jetblue Airways comped the artist’s flights to Puerto Rico.

Leave a comment

Ryan Long Turned Hardship into a Life of Philanthropy and Created the City Summit & Gala

How Ryan Long Turned Hardship into a Life of Philanthropy and Created the City Summit & Gala

Today Ryan Long enjoys a successful career as the founder of the City Summit & Gala,  organizations that provide financial assistance to non-profits and help entrepreneurs excel in the industry by connecting them with innovative business leaders. And although he mingles with Hollywood A-listers like Ashton Kutcher, who are involved in his endeavors, Long’s lifestyle wasn’t always so glamorous.

Ashton Kutcher and Ryan Long

According to an article on the City Gala site, Long was beaten badly by his father at the age of five and his stepfather turned out to be so deleterious that his mother fled with him, his half-brother and stepdaughter for their safety.

Things got better for a short time, but during college, Long faced trouble again. He was bullied and handled the situation violently, which became the first of several run ins with authorities. It wasn’t until Long became a father that he decided it was time to turn his life around and after a series of failed nightclub businesses, Long came up with the idea for City Summit and Gala.

Now in its third year, the organizations host an annual glitzy gala that supports 9 beneficiary charities, which this year included: Already Always Amazing, Bright Futures Foundation, Feed A Billion, Fulfilled Families, Firelife Foundation, Project NOW, Conscious Capitalism, Child Liberation Foundation, and My Life My Power.

In addition, a high-profile celebrity serves as a keynote speaker and is recognized for their philanthropic work, and this year the honoree was Matthew McConaughy. The Oscar winner was presented with the Inspiration Award and talked about his foundation just keep livin, which empowers high school students to make responsible and healthy choices as adults.

Matthew McConaughey at City Gala Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

As Long excitedly made his way down the 90-foot red carpet outside of Universal Studios in Los Angeles, he exclusively talked to The Voluntourist about why McConaughey was chosen as this year’s recipient, as well as his life’s struggles and who he credits for his incredible success.

The Voluntourist: Can you talk about why you chose to honor Matthew McConaughey this evening?

Ryan Long: Of the motivational videos that I watch in the morning on the way to the gym or when I’m waking up early to start my day, there’s this clip of him giving a commencement speech at a college. He is so inspirational. Then I took a look at his foundation just keep livin, the work that he’s doing with high school students and under privileged kids is incredible. That’s why we decided to give him that inspiration honor.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – MARCH 04: Actor Matthew McConaughey (L) and wife Camila Alves attend the City Gala 2018 at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 4, 2018 in Universal City, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

The Voluntourist: You could have gone into a completely different direction given the hardships you experienced early on in life. Why do you think you turned towards humanitarian efforts and giving back to others?

Ryan Long: I think undoubtedly it’s my family. I had been raised with the right framework of a conservative family. They taught me how to behave, they taught me manners and I was completely betraying who I was. If I turn guilt into something that drives me forward that I could say, “You know what never again. I’ll never be that scumbag human. I’ll never be that way.” So I made a decision that for the rest of my life it’s going to be about the service of other people instead of my own greedy crappy habits.

Ryan Long at City Gala
Photo by: Steph Ritz Photography

The Voluntourist: What was the moment or incident that pushed you in that direction?

Ryan Long: I think it was breaking up with my fiancée and having a broken heart, being broke and I did a lot of self-reflection after that. I was just called and led to read books and the more that I read, the more that I wanted to read. They were all personal  development and self-help books. I just pumped myself full of that and it rewired from the inside out.

The Voluntourist: How did you go from being completely broke to where you are now?

Ryan Long: I just started dreaming big. Jack Canfield in The Success Principles, he talks about big dreams attract big people. I just started dreaming really big and the bigger I dreamt, the bigger the people arrived in my life. Now I have a network of wonderful people who will give, give, give and we continue to grow.

Ryan Long and Matthew McConaughey

The event had an variety of entertaining aspects such as a celebrity poker tournament, fashion show, live entertainment, dinner + open bar, and silent auction hosted by Charity Stars. The event also premiered the trailer for the feature film “Wishman” based on the life of Frank Shankwitz (Co-Founder of Make-A-Wish.) Finally, the Achievement Award was given to Dr. James Dentley (Co-Founder, NBC University) for his work mentoring thousands of students.

The evening’s sponsors included: Nova Wealth Management. Other sponsors included SnackNation, Brigade LA, Anton Jae Global, NBC University, Allure Events, Secret Knock, The Celebrity Installer, One One 77 Creative Studio, Shared Success, The Income Store, and Fuel.

For more information please visit City Gala and City Summit 

Leave a comment

City Gala – Matthew McConaughey Honored for his Just Keep Livin Foundation

City Gala – Matthew McConaughey honored for his Just Keep Livin Foundation

On screen Matthew McConaughey is undeniably compelling and memorable with his powerful performances, good looks and lovable sense of humor in films such as “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Interstellar,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and of course “Dazed and Confused.” Off screen, the highly regarded actor is just as unforgettable with his incredible self-effacing demeanor and his non-profit just keep livin, which encourages and empowers at risk high school students to make responsible and healthy choices as adults.

At the third annual City Gala event, held in Los Angeles, the Oscar winner was honored for his dedication to his foundation he started with his wife Camila Alves in 2015, and was presented with the Inspiration Award. While addressing the packed crowd at the Globe Theater at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, he revealed how his father inspired the name of his organization.

“In 1992, I’m five days into my first film, Dazed and Confused,” McConaughey explained during a Q&A following his acceptance speech. “I get a call from my mother one night saying, ‘Matt, your dad’s passed away. I went home immediately, was home for two days, we had the wake, we had the party, we had the tears, and then my family said, ‘Go get back to work.”

“I was trying to figure out how I maintain a relationship with my father spiritually, even though physically he’s no longer here and it hit me one night,” McConaughey continued. “I didn’t come up with it — it came from up above and said, ‘Well, you keep the spirit alive, man. You gotta just keep livin.” So, I was like, OK, there it is. I’ve lost him physically, but I still spiritually have a connection with him and can talk to him anytime I want to and that’s where, ‘Just keep livin’ came from.”

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – MARCH 04: Actor Matthew McConaughey (L) and wife Camila Alves attend the City Gala 2018 at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 4, 2018 in Universal City, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

McConaughey also sweetly thanked his wife, who looked amazing in a white floor length Vivienne Westwood gown.

“The biggest thing I’m grateful for right now in my life is three healthy children and a wife who doesn’t want to change me. Thank you, Camila. That’s something to be thankful for, right? There’s nobody else I’d rather be here with.”

For more information on just keep livin click here.

For more information on City Gala click here.

Leave a comment

Why Savvy Travelers use TravelPirates – The Voluntourist

Why Savvy Travelers use TravelPirates

Pack your bags because you’re about to book an awesome affordable adventure!

TravelPirates is an online Boston based travel company that finds the cheapest rates on everything from flights to accommodations to tours and complete vacation packages.

Whether you’re planning a quick weekend getaway or jet-setting around the globe, TravelPirates does the legwork for you and finds the greatest deals.

So what’s the catch?  There isn’t one really, but here’s what you should know.

You have to book the fare immediately because the deal will sellout instantly. And you should be flexible with your dates and destination for the best rate. The prices are so good that they’re almost unbelievable.

At the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show, I actually met with two members of their team, Calvin Iverson, who is the PR Manager and Jessica Bisesto, the Senior Editor, and they filled me in on everything to know about TravelPirates.

The Voluntourist: For those who don’t know about TravelPirates, describe the services you offer.

Calvin Iverson: We’re travel deals platform. We have a website and an app for IOS and Android. We have a team of full-time deal hunters and they spend all day hunting for the very best value for travel deals–flights, hotels, vacation packages–everything. It’s about the best value for your money, so not necessarily the cheapest. If you know that you want to go to Thailand or Costa Rica and you know that you want to go for a certain time of year, you’re just going to search for the cheapest flight for that time for that region. But, we find the best value trips for the places that you might not even realize are affordable. It could be a deal that you have to take advantage of the next month, or it could be something farther in advance. The key is these deals go quickly, but we’re finding so many a day that if you miss one, you’ll find another one.

The Voluntourist: What’s the secret to finding the deals?

Jessica Bisesto: We use a lot of our proprietary tools that have been created by our headquartered office in Berlin. Then we just do a lot of digging around. We have a lot of affiliate partners, so places like Kayak and Priceline, places that people are familiar with. It’s so time-consuming for our audience to go through and figure out, which dates are going to offer the best prices, will the hotel I want to stay at match up with these dates? So it’s a lot of digging around. We all have a very specific set of skills that we’re able to use. We’re in the trenches every day trying to find the best value deals for our audience.

Calvin Iverson: It all comes back to trust. People don’t believe that our deals are even real so you might not be inclined to book spontaneously because you’re, ‘thinking it can’t be real.’ We have five people on the deal hunting team alone and they’re whole job is to review these properties, the airline, review all of the deals to make sure they’re legit. We’re not sending you to a sketchy booking site. We’re sending you to Kayka and Booking.com. So you can trust that it’s a real company that you’re booking with. We don’t book the travel for you. We just give you step by step instructions to take out all of the guess-work and all of those hours that you would spend planning your own vacation.

The Voluntourist: You find deals I’ve never seen anywhere else before. It’s impressive.

Calvin Iverson: We know what to look out for. For example, with an error fare, like when an airline accidentally prices something too low, they could cancel the fare or they could honor it. We know how to watch out for that. If we see something like $171 roundtrip from Washington D.C. to Chile, we will publish it and say it was probably a mistake. Don’t call the airline–just book it! They don’t have to honor in, but in this case they did. So if you’re a regular consumer and you see a fare like this, you might be skeptical, but we take all the guess work out. We tell you yes, you can book it but just wait a few weeks to book your accommodations because they could cancel it. It’s a guessing game and you kind of have to take the plunge.

The Voluntourist: I love how you take all of the time-consuming work out of it for customers.

Calvin Iverson: Yes and in addition we also try to give you as many travel tips as possible. Jessica has been to Asia backpacking and tells you what the situation is when you land, what the transfers are like, if there are resort fees and other useful information. She won’t gloss over anything. If you’re booking with other websites sometimes you’ll go through all of the steps to book and then it’s hundreds of dollars more expensive than what you thought because they’re not transparent.

Jessica Bisesto: We really pride ourselves on being transparent. Vegas is one of the top destinations that our audience really loves and we’re constantly finding very affordable packages. We’ll also include the prices of the resort fees, so it might look a little more expensive and our competitor might be less, but that’s because they haven’t included the resort fee. We’re all such passionate travelers, none of us want to beat around the bush. We want to maintain this reputation of being really honest and straight forward. A lot of our hard work goes into making sure our users have every detail possible.

Calvin Iverson: That’s where it really comes back to value. The resort fees are popping up more and more, but even airlines offering the economy flights. People booking their own trips look for the cheapest flights and find this amazing fare, but then they realize they can’t pick their own seat, they can’t bring a bag, you can’t even put things in the overhead bins. All of a sudden, booking travel gets so confusing.

Jessica Bisesto: Frequently we find great deals on Norwegian, Wow, Spirit and Frontier. We tell our audience that these are budget airlines, so you’re not going to get all the frills, but they’re still safe and will get you to your destination. They’re great if you pack light, bring a snack with you, get a reusable water bottle and you’re good to go.

Calvin Iverson: If we find a fare for a full service airline and it’s deeply discounted, we will point that out. We’ll put that in bold and encourage people to book it because you’re getting everything for such a discounted rate.

The Voluntourist: Be honest, how often to you find these deals and book for yourself?

Calvin Iverson: All the time!

Jessica Bisesto: Yes, all the time. We found a deal from Boston to Buenos Aires for $350 roundtrip. As soon as one of our editors found it and published it, I immediately put in a request for time off and I booked it. I called a friend and said, “Guess what we’re doing in March?”

Calvin Iverson: I’d say five of us have gone to Iceland within a six-week period because we found roundtrip tickets for $200 roundtrip from Boston.

The Voluntourist: What’s the trick to using TravelPirates?

Jessica Bisesto: Download our app and turn on push notifications. That way if you’re looking for a specific deal like LA to Tokyo in June, you will be alerted as soon as we publish that exact deal. So you’ll be ahead of the game and chances are when you open the deal it will still be available verses if you procrastinate and wait, the prices might be gone.

Leave a comment

Voluntourism Scams – Beware

Voluntourism Scams – Beware

Many voluntourism organizations will offer day trips or weekend excursions at an additional cost.

But do your research and see how much you’d pay to go on your own rather than with the program.

In 2009 when I volunteered in India with Volunteering Solutions, I went to the Taj Mahal with my group and paid $100, which did not include entry fees to the site.

Heather Newgen at the Taj Mahal

At the time I thought that was a good deal, but unfortunately, this volunteer company was highly unethical and many volunteers left the program, including myself, because we realized they were taking advantage of people.

Our volunteer housing was a cockroach-infested basement and we were told to go to the slums by ourselves to volunteer, which wasn’t safe.

How are foreigners supposed to find their way to a place that has no address in a city they’ve never been to before?

For those of us who did make an effort to go, once we arrived, there was no volunteer work.

Taking volunteers to the Taj Mahal was just another scam.

 

Not only were we rushed and didn’t get to spend much time there, we could have gone on our own for half the price.

People who spend their time helping volunteers and taking them on day trips should absolutely be compensated. I’m happy to generously pay for this service, but with Volunteering Solutions, it was unfortunately just another way to profit off volunteers.

They didn’t care about helping the needs of their community or taking care of their volunteers. They only cared about helping themselves. If the money was going to a good cause, I wouldn’t care. But to overcharge and not go anywhere except for in the organizations’s greedy pockets, that’s not alright.

But I learned a valuable lesson. If I had done more research into this organization, I probably would have realized how unprofessional and shady they were.

So always ask where your money is going.

Read my review about them here.

Breast Cancer Research – Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg Help Raise $1.5 Million

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg and honorary chair Rita Wilson attend WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg Help Raise $1.5 Million for Breast Cancer Research

Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, along with WCRF co-founders Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, and Jamie Tisch welcomed guests to An Unforgettable Evening presented by Saks Fifth Avenue. The event returned to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, with proceeds benefitting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Tom Ford, Rita Wilson, and Steven Spielberg attend WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)

Hosted by Emmy® Award-winning host, writer, and producer James Corden, the evening included a dinner, an awards presentation and musical performance. Tom Ford presented the Nat King Cole Award to Grammy and Academy Award-winning recording artist and actor Jennifer Hudson for her ongoing philanthropic work around women’s issues.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Jennifer Hudson and James Corden attend WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)

Award winning actress and entrepreneur Sofia Vergara accepted the 2018 Courage Award from Honorary Chair Rita Wilson for her continued support and dedication to raising awareness for cancer research in all its forms.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Honoree Sofia Vergara accepts the Courage Award onstage during WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

The Modern Family star beat cancer almost two decades ago and talked about her with reporters.

“I think the important thing, when you get lucky like me, that it was something that didn’t have to kill me, then to do stuff like this, to support causes like this that help find the research. We need money. Money is what is needed to fund research. That’s why we’re all here tonight. It’s amazing that everybody comes together and give hope to people that are sick, because they know that that’s what they need. They need research and more people caring so that we finally find a cure to all these cancers.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Joe Manganiello (L) and Courage Award recipient Sofia Vergara attend WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

Inside the event, Vergara explained what it meant to be recognized for her work in fighting cancer.

“It’s an honor for me to be here tonight to continue raising awareness for the cancer research. Hopefully all of us gathered in here can inspire others to fight for advancing cancer research… My personal experience with cancer 18 years ago made me passionate about cancer research and one of my greatest joys is working with the wonderful research team at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Courage Award recipient Sofia Vergara attends WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

Continuing her speech to the A-list crowd, she said, “Just this month actually I was contacted by a family in Columbia with a son that needed an urgent bone marrow transplant and the doctors in Columbia had the technology to do it, but they couldn’t provide the proper quality after care following the procedure and the people from St. Jude’s transported the child and his family immediately, like after a week they were here and they were able to start the treatment. This child and the many other children that I have met at St. Jude’s tell me that there’s no age limit for courage so I accept this award tonight as a way to honor the courage of all of you here in this room that have shown for supporting this great cause.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Pitbull performs onstage during WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

In addition, Grammy-Award winning, multiplatinum international icon, Pitbull, brought the 305 to the Unforgettable Evening stage for a special performance, and closed the evening with an 11-song medley including his hits “Give Me Everything,” “Don’t Stop The Party,” “Fireball,” and “I Know You What Me.” The event raised over $1.5 million for the cause.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Kate Capshaw, Pitbull and Steven Spielberg attend WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)

Additional guests in attendance included Debbie Allen, Julie Bowen, Alexa Dell, Lisa Eisner, Tom Ford, Ashley Hart, Jessica Hart, Maz Jobrani, Lisa & David Klein, Rachel Lauder, Lisa Kudrow, Monique Lhuillier, Lori Loughlin & Olivia Jade, Loni Love, Joe Manganiello, Natalie Martinez, Tamara Mellon, Jennifer Meyer, Candace Nelson, Irena Medavoy, Alex Pettyfer, Stephanie Pratt, Lois Robbins, Jennifer Tilly, Jon & Lizzie Tisch, Alexandra von Fürstenberg, David Walton & Majandra Delfino, and more.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Lori Loughlin attends WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)

An Unforgettable Evening is the flagship fundraising event for WCRF featuring extraordinary honorees, tributes to cancer survivors and the memory of those impacted by cancer. For over 20 years, this event has brought together leaders in entertainment, cancer research and corporate philanthropy in raising funds for pioneering cancer research conducted at leading medical and academic institutions in Los Angeles and throughout the nation. Previous Unforgettable Evening Honorees have included Natalie Cole, Courteney Cox, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Renette Ezralow, Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, Sir Elton John, Nicole Kidman, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Gwyneth Paltrow and Stella McCartney.

Saks Fifth Avenue generously supported WCRF to present An Unforgettable Evening for the 14th time. Over the last 18 years, Saks has donated nearly $40 million to cancer research and treatment organizations throughout the United States. de GRISOGONO and ALLEVEN provided additional support for the event.

ABOUT WOMEN’S CANCER RESEARCH FUND (@wcrfcure)

The Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, supports innovative research, education and outreach directed at the development of more effective approaches to the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of women’s cancers. Visit www.wcrfcure.org for more information.

ABOUT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (@bcrfcure)

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is dedicated to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. This year, BCRF will award $59.5 million to support the work of more than 275 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 15 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide. BCRF is the highest rated breast cancer organization in the U.S.-the only one with an “A+” from CharityWatch and Charity Navigator’s highest rating of four stars. Visit www.bcrf.org for more information.

Leave a comment

Timeshare Presentations – Why you shouldn’t go to just for the Free Gift

Why you shouldn’t go to Timeshare Presentations just for the Free Gift

I’ve never thought about getting involved in a timeshare, but when I was covering the L.A. Travel & Adventure Show, I was bombarded with requests to go to a presentation in exchange for a complimentary gift.

A young guy from the Wyndham Hotel chain booth called me over and I went to see what he was offering. Since I was there as press I wanted to talk to as many people as possible for the article I wrote about the event. He knew I was a reporter–I had on my press badge, and I explained to him what The Voluntourist is all about.

Still he proceeded to butter me up and tell me how great I am, blah, blah, blah. Then he started trying to sell me on a timeshare presentation.

He said I’d get two free nights at Wyndham Hotel in a fun location like San Diego, Long Beach or a few other destinations I could choose from. In addition, I’d get a bonus gift if I went the next day and he showed me brochures for a three night stay at Palm Springs or Sedona.

So I agreed because I thought the topic of timeshares would be interesting to write about. But there was a catch of course. I had a pay $40 to reserve my spot, however, I’d get it back when I arrived to the presentation. This was also to ensure I’d show up.

I was annoyed, but gave him my credit card to swipe.

The next day I drove from Studio City to Long Beach for the presentation, which was on the Queen Mary.

Here’s how it worked.

Parking was free and there were turkey sandwiches (no vegetarian), chips and coffee for people to snack on.

Each person or couple have their own personal representative who asks why you’re interested in a timeshare and how often you travel. This will be the person who tries to seal the deal at the end.

There’s also a group presentation with a dynamic well spoken representation that explains why timeshares are the way to go.

Here’s what I learned at the event.

This isn’t a traditional timeshare. You’re not locked into one location– there’s over 100 countries and 4000 resorts to choose from.

Premiere benefits are offered the first time you attend a presentation only. This means you’re given a highly discounted rate if you decide to buy a timeshare that day. And there are 10-year finance plans, which in that time you should have the timeshares paid off.

Most people attend for the gift but the presentations can change people’s mind for the following reasons.

-Hotel nightly rates will continue to rise, but the price of the timeshare remains the same.

-You buy a certain amount of credits, depending on how often you travel. There are no black out dates, but during peak season you’ll spend more credits and every location requires a different amount of credits. If you don’t use all

your credits they role over and you can borrow next year’s credits without penalty.

-You’ll be able to stay in better accommodations than what most hotels offer.

-This is something you’ll own forever and can pass on to family.

I have to admit after the presentation I was a little sold on it. When you think about how much you spend just on hotels alone, then how much you can get a timeshare for, it’s a good deal.

Traveling is expensive and trying to do regular family vacations is costly, so I think timeshares can be great for many.

That said, you have to be at least 28-years-old for this one and make at least $60,000 a year.

So for those thinking about going to a presentation just for the free weekend trip, or whatever the prize is, it requires more personal time than you think.

I spent half a day, including drive time, and I have to register for the two nights in advance and mail in the coupon I have. There are very specific directions and if you don’t follow them all you will no longer be qualified.

And that bonus gift is actually a one night stay up to $100 that I have to pay for in advance. I will be reimbursed at a later time, which is such a hassle.

In addition, most of the representatives are on commission only. So if you go just for the free gift, you’re taking them away from people who might actually buy.

While this wasn’t a bad experience, it wasn’t anything I feel I need to do again unless I really want to own a timeshare. To sit through the presentation and waste my time as well as someone else’s for a complimentary hotel stay isn’t my thing, but I do think they’re  great for anyone who is genuinely interested in getting a timeshare.

Leave a comment