Travel Agents Win National Business Award In Celebration of Women’s History Month
CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® honor female agents with OPAL Award for leadership and community service
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (March 4, 2021) – Leading home-based travel agencies CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® celebrate Women’s History Month in March by honoring female vacation specialists with the OPAL Award for Women. The company has named CruiseOne Franchisee Addie Edwards and Cruises Inc. Independent Vacation Specialist Debra Duffy the 2021 recipients of this prestigious award.
The OPAL Award recognizes a female franchise owner and an independent vacation specialist who demonstrateOutstanding Performance And Leadership. The honorees are active in community and civic organizations, and demonstrate leadership within CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. This year’s award also celebrates women who not only survived but thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic by reinventing themselves and their businesses this past year.
“2020 was a trying year and these two women found a way to continue giving back to the community and being a beacon of light for others,” said Debbie Fiorino, chief operating officer of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “The OPAL Award celebrates women’s accomplishments and contributions to helping others, and Addie and Deb epitomize what this recognition is all about.”
A resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., Edwards has been a CruiseOne franchise owner since 2006 and has continued to make a difference in the lives of others during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing comfort and support to those around her in need. As a Board Member with the Believe I Can Academy, a non-profit school for children with special needs, Edwards was instrumental in helping the organization secure and move to a larger facility when they had to accommodate a large influx of new students due to the closure of public schools. During the pandemic, she also became a caregiver for 93-year-old philanthropist Betty Lee, a founding member of Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak, a charitable organization whose objective is to support charities who work with women and children in need. Edwards visited Lee weekly, did her grocery shopping and helped navigate the many constraints involved in obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, the arts are another passion of Edwards and for the past three seasons she has volunteered for the Arizona Musicfest.
Duffy of Palisades Park, N.J., is an environmentalist who supports the PopCorn Park Zoo, a sanctuary for abused and abandoned pets in Forked River, N.J.; a volunteer weather observer for CoCoRaHS, a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers who measure and map precipitation in their local communities; as well as a past member of the Palisades Park Environmental Commission, where she was recognized as the “Bergen County Volunteer of the Year” for her contributions to improving the town’s environmental impact through recycling programs and planting trees, as well as infrastructure enhancements. Duffy also supports the American Cancer Society and the Palisades Park Fire Department.
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.
For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com to learn more about owning a Dream Vacations/CruiseOne travel franchise, and visit www.sellcruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. host agency opportunity.
About Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.®
Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® are part of World Travel Holdings, the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. The Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise give entrepreneurs the opportunity to become a small business owner, as well as a choice in how they brand their travel business. Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity providing individuals a fun way to earn extra money. Both business models provide a work-from-home opportunity to those passionate about selling travel, whether it be a cruise, resort stay or land tour. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, travel agents with all three brands are given premium resources to plan and create a seamless vacation experience for the customer while offering the best value. For more information on Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com, like the Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise or watch its videos at www.youtube.com/DreamVacationsBusiness. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit www.SellCruises.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SellCruises.