Holland America Line Foundation
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
As part of its social responsibility initiative, the leading premium cruise line contributes over a million dollars each year in cash, in-kind shipboard events and useable goods to a broad range of charitable organizations nationally and internationally. Through the Ship to Shelter program, Holland America Line collects valuable and reusable goods from ships for donation to charities serving people in need. Additionally, the line provides over 2,000 reduced-fare cruises annually to support charitable fundraising events throughout the United States and Canada. And together, guests and employees have donated over $3 million through the innovative On Deck for the Cure® shipboard walks benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Whether it is donating shipboard items to an orphanage, cleaning up a neighborhood park, or donating money to disaster relief, Holland America Line and its employees share time and resources to make a difference.
SHARING RESOURCES
Building on the extraordinary efforts of individual employees within our Holland America Line family, we have developed programs to reach a variety of organizations with aid, donations and service. From employee fundraising drives to cash and cruise donations to innovative philanthropic programs that each year invite the participation of 700,000 guests, we are working together to make a difference. And it has made our company stronger along the way.
DISASTER RELIEF
Aided by the generous contributions of our employees and guests, Holland America Line has responded to international communities affected by natural disasters. In response to the devastating tsunami of December 2004 and August 2005's Hurricane Katrina, Holland America Line provided an opportunity for our employees and guests to assist the victims of those disasters, and those donations were matched by the company, resulting in contributions of $170,000 to the Indonesian Red Cross and $210,000 to the American Red Cross.
For years, Holland America Line has also been a strong supporter of the heroic work of the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation.
EMPLOYEE GIVING & VOLUNTEERISM
Our employees provide a vital "helping hand" that enhances our community impact. For many Holland America Line staff, giving and volunteering is a way of life. Employee generosity and initiative continue to create positive change in our headquarters community of Seattle, and we gratefully acknowledge their contributions.
Many of our executives and employees serve on nonprofit boards, contributing their time, expertise and resources to a broad range of charitable causes. In addition, through company-sponsored events managed by an employee-run Community Service Committee, members of the Holland America Line family:
- prepare and serve dinners to children and their families dealing with life-threatening illnesses (Ronald McDonald House);
- conduct and participate in blood drives (Puget Sound Blood Center);
- raise money by forming teams for bowling (Big Brothers Big Sisters), hiking (American Lung Association), and running (Susan G. Komen for the Cure);
- organize and donate coat and blanket collections for the homeless (Union Gospel Mission);
- "adopt" families in need by providing holiday gifts and food (New Beginnings); and
- collect toys for underprivileged children (Toys for Tots), among other endeavors.
Workplace giving by employees, plus Holland America Line's corporate match, places us among the top 25 companies that give to the United Way of King County.
ON DECK FOR THE CURE
Holland America Line has taken the fight against breast cancer to the high seas through On Deck for the Cure®, a non-competitive 5K fundraising walk held on over 500 cruises each year. These walks have raised more than $3 million for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in less than four years and earned Holland America Line a place on Komen's Million Dollar Council.
Our valued guests are the key to this success. On every sailing, guests are invited to register for the onboard walk, which takes place on a day that the ship is at sea. On the 15 ships of the Holland America Line fleet, a 5K walk is 9 to 12 laps around the deck. Guests exercise and enjoy a great walk in the fresh sea air while helping others at the same time.
"This partnership was the first of its kind in the cruise industry and one of the best ways that Holland America Line and our guests can collectively combine resources to support a great organization and an extremely worthy cause," says Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer of Holland America Line.
Guests donate $15 or more to participate. The donations are administered through the Holland America Line Foundation, which distributes $11.25 of each registration (plus any additional gifts) to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (The remaining $3.75 of each $15 covers administrative costs incurred by The Holland America Line Foundation in connection with the On Deck for the Cure program, including the wristband and t-shirt that each participant receives.) Holland America Line has committed to raising a minimum of $250,000 per year via this program.
GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES
The charitable activities of Holland America Line and the Holland America Line Foundation, particularly in our home port communities, are flourishing. Holland America Line contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in cash and in-kind shipboard events to a broad range of charitable organizations internationally, nationally, in our key home ports of Seattle, San Diego, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Vancouver, B.C, and via our six Community Advisory Boards in Canada's Yukon Territory and Alaska. We also provide hundreds of reduced-fare cruises annually to support charitable fundraising events throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2009, Holland America Line was ranked by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the 25 largest corporate philanthropists in the Puget Sound area.
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