Home-based travel agencies Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. celebrate Women’s History Month in March by honoring a female vacation specialist with the OPAL Award for Women. The company has named Dream Vacations Franchisee Rhonda Day and Cruises Inc. Vacation Specialist Kathy Crelot the 2018 recipients of this award.
The OPAL Award recognizes a female franchise owner and independent vacation specialist who demonstrate outstanding performance and leadership. The honoree is active in community and civic organizations, is among Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc.’s top selling agents and has exhibited strong business skills.
“Recognizing the contributions of women in the workforce and community are more important than ever before, and I am so proud that we have an established recognition program in place to celebrate our agents,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc., in a written statement. “While we care more about our agents’ successes, it is always touching to read these OPAL nominations and see how much they care about others within our network and their community. Rhonda and Kathy are role models to all and embody the meaning behind International Woman’s Day and Women’s History Month.”
A resident of Louisville, KY, Day has been a Dream Vacations (previously CruiseOne) franchise owner since 2013. A team player, Day wants to see everyone experience the success she has had, Dream Vacations said, which includes winning the Growth Award in 2015 and the Brand Ambassador award in 2016. Within the Dream Vacations organization she is an active contributor on its Business Center and Facebook groups, has mentored several franchise owners and has served on the Marketing Committee in 2017. In her business community she has leadership roles with Women in Networking in Louisville and the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce, where she activity participates on the Navigator Committee. In addition to volunteering with local and international mission organizations, Day has participated in yearly fundraising events with Day Spring Foundation and Personal Counseling Service. In conjunction with owning a travel business, Day thought it would be a perfect marriage to support a nautical organization. So from day one of opening her franchise five years ago, she has been supporting Mercy Ships, the world's largest civilian hospital ship providing state-of-the-art care to those in desperate need, free of charge.
Crelot has been a Cruises Inc. vacation specialist in Skaneateles, NY, since 2015. Always willing to lend advice to other agents, Crelot organized a lunch group for agents in her area to get together. A Navy Veteran, Crelot is the Finance Officer of the Skaneateles American Legion and is very active in her local business community as a result of her previous career as CEO of the Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union. She is an active member and sits on several committees for her local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary, and is a returning board member of the Skaneateles Area Arts Council. A women’s right’s activist, Crelot has participated in the Seneca Falls Women’s March and is on the planning committee for several community fundraising events in celebration of International Women’s Day this year.
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