By: The Cruise Web, Inc.
While the holidays are a good time to count our blessings and reflect on the past year, it’s important to remember those that may not have been so fortunate. Keeping that in mind this 
holiday season, The Cruise Web decided to reach out to Bright Beginnings, a local child development center in Washington, DC, and offer a little holiday spirit. After establishing a company goal for donations, it was exciting to watch our company pull together for a better cause. Altogether, our employee donations, which were matched by The Cruise Web, exceeded our original goal! We used the donations to buy clothing, toys, shoes, diapers, and other much-needed items for Bright Beginnings, their children and families.
This past Monday, team members from The Cruise Web spent the morning delivering our donations and spending time with the staff and children at Bright Beginnings. We were given a tour of the facility, which resulted in a lasting emotion of joy. Joy that was created for children and families who were in a rough place in their lives, but were able 
to become a part of such a wonderful organization. As we walked through the halls we heard laughter and saw smiles among the children’s glowing faces. The walls were covered with artwork made by the children and pictures of current and former students. According to Michael Harris, Sales Manager at The Cruise Web, “In every interaction, it became more and more clear that the employees and volunteers at Bright Beginnings were genuine and truly committed to the well-being of each child, both in the present and in the future.”
The children of Bright Beginnings showed resilience and courage despite so many negative influences surrounding their daily lives. One of the goals of Bright Beginnings is to act as a safe haven for homeless children, and a place 
of structure. The staff kept reinforcing how important it is for children to have structure and follow a schedule, as knowing what they will be doing each day allows the children to feel safe. Bright Beginnings’ employees have a special place in their hearts and are dedicated to the well being of these children, evident in the smiles on the children’s and staff’s faces! The Cruise Web President, Frans Hansen, best described our visit to Bright Beginnings: “Seeing the big smiles on those little faces in the classrooms made me appreciate, even more, everything that Bright Beginnings does.”
The Cruise Web is very thankful for Bright Beginnings allowing us to take part in their wonderful organization and for letting us experience all that they have to offer. “We were given the opportunity to 
learn more about the struggles these families face and the scope of the problem,” added Karolina Shenton, Manager of Marketing and Sales Operations. “I am thankful there are organizations like the Bright Beginning Center working to help these kids and we will continue to help in any way we can.” Bright Beginnings is hoping in the very near future to open a second center in the Washington, DC area to be able to better support the growing need for assistance. To learn more about Bright Beginnings you can visit their website Bright Beginnings, Inc.
More About Bright Beginnings
Bright Beginnings is a nationally-accredited child and family development center that offers a bright start for homeless infants, toddlers, preschoolers 
and their families. Established in 1991 by the Junior League of Washington, Bright Beginnings has met the needs of nearly 1,700 homeless children to date. The organization is dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of children and families living in homeless environments by providing children with a nurturing educational environment and helping homeless parents stabilize their home lives and become self-sufficient.
Bright Beginnings’ child care operates from early in the morning to late in the evening with an age range of six-weeks to five-years old. The goal of the children’s facility, which includes brightly decorated and inspiring classrooms, is to prepare the children for kindergarten by the time they reach age five and “graduate” from Bright Beginnings.
Not only is Bright Beginnings a place to nurture children, they also have family service teams that assist 
parents in finding jobs, completing their education and stabilizing their family. The family service teams spend one-on-one time with each family to identify personal challenges while setting goals to overcome obstacles and achieve self-sufficiency. With the help of charitable donations, Bright Beginnings makes sure that the families are able to provide the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. After all basic needs are met, the staff addresses the personal causes of each family’s homelessness to prevent them from becoming homeless once again.
Bright Beginnings, Inc. website
The Cruise Web, Inc.
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