Cruise Planners welcomes two new interns in partnership with the Dan Marino Foundation to ready young adults with autism for independence

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – April 4, 2022 – Cruise Planners is not only a leader in the travel industry for sales volume but also a leader in giving back to the community.  In addition to fundraising for various local and national charities, Cruise Planners is also committed to providing opportunities for learning work and life skills to better our community. This year, Cruise Planners welcomes two new interns through their partnership with the Dan Marino Foundation (DMF), Jake H., 22, and Carl D., 18. This program allows a comprehensive internship experience to prepare young adults of various abilities for independence and job readiness. 

Cruise Planners welcomed their first interns in 2020, Braedon S. and Chris L., and both are currently employed thanks to the completion of the DMF program and hands-on internship at Cruise Planners complemented by the close mentorship from the award-winning Information Technology team. In 2020, Cruise Planners was awarded the “Coolest Office” by South Florida Business Journal, so it’s fitting that they share this space with students looking to learn more. 

Jake H. at his desk as he begins orientation for his first day of his internship. 

Despite the pandemic, Cruise Planners continued to support Marino Campus and its students by offering this internship virtually, making the transition seamless and uninterrupted for students. Cruise Planners is proud to have led the first ever virtual internship for the Foundation and even provided guidelines and best practices that other organizations welcoming virtual interns could utilize to ensure students could complete their academic year successfully.

“I’m excited about the team members and everyone because they are easy going and friendly", said Jake. “I can’t wait to learn more about the Cruise Planners mobile app and how everything operates here.”

Carl D. is looking forward to broadening his skills at Cruise Planners Home Office. 

Carl echoed these sentiments and said, “I just hope to learn from the people here and grow skills that I don’t have myself.” 

This program will require students to complete over 300 internship hours. The Marino Campus offers coursework in the areas of independent living and life skill development, including financial literacy and employment readiness and industry-specific foundational skills in the student’s area of interest. Cruise Planners supports the Marino Campus educational model by blending classroom instruction, business internships, and social enrichment opportunities to equip students for a professional career.

Benny Mohall, Lead Instructor at Marino Campus, said he hopes they will gain real life skills that will truly prepare them for a career in technology moving forward. 

“I can only do so much in the classroom and this is the real world,” said Mohall. “It’s not always the work; it’s about the people and CP is all about the people. If they learn people skills and life skills, they will never be without a job.”

Benny Mohall, Jake H. And Carl D. sit inside the Think Tank at CP Home Office. 

For almost thirty years, the Dan Marino Foundation’s mission has been to empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. At Cruise Planners, its diverse team members consists of 70% female with women-led leadership and also come from different backgrounds and cultures. Cruise Planners is also a proud ally and advocate for the LGBTQ community. 

“We know how important it is to lift up our community,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “It’s what makes us who we are and we don’t think twice about doing what we can to help other organizations in their mission to help those in need. Diversity and inclusion are two things we hold dear to us and I’m proud of the work CP Cares does all year round to embody those tenets.”

Giving back is second nature at Cruise Planners, where its corporate charitable foundation, CP Cares, has helped raise over $2 million dollars to date. CP Cares has worked with various organizations in the past including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS.), Food for The Poor, SOS Florida Children’s Village, and Kids in Distress. Cruise Planners also collected and donated essential supplies to the Karisma Foundation in Mexico during their annual convention  last fall in addition to a cash donation of $10,000 to help the organization in its mission to help pediatric patients.

Company Background:  Cruise Planners, an award-winning American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives.

The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 2 years. FBR also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel. 

Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/. 

Media Contact:

Thuy Phan, PR & Corporate Communications Manager

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative

tphan@cruiseplanners.com

(954) 344-8060 x334