As part of its efforts to redefine the notion of “celebrity” by celebrating individuals who volunteer their time and energy with no thought of personal recognition, Cabot Creamery Cooperative is honoring 60 volunteers with an Alaskan cruise this year. The 2017 Cabot Community Celebrity Cruise is just one of the ways Cabot’s dairy farm families uplift those who take time to do good. Cabot’s press release follows:Â
Cabot Creamery Cooperative, the New England and New York farm-family owned dairy cooperative, is honoring 60 altruistic individuals for their volunteer work with an all-expense-paid Alaskan Cruise. The 1,100 farm families who own Cabot often volunteer in their own communities. They want to show their gratitude to those organizations and individuals who do the same in the communities where their award-winning cheddar cheese and dairy products are sold.
“There is a lot going on in the world right now,” said Cabot Senior Vice President of Marketing Roberta MacDonald. “Yet with all the change we see around us, one constant is a volunteer’s ability to improve the lives of others in their local community. Most people don’t volunteer to be recognized, and while the cruise is meant to honor their service, it also serves as a laboratory for like-minded people to network and share ideas to inspire others to give their time.”
The cruise, which sets sail from Seattle on June 2, 2017, marks the sixth Cabot Community Celebrity cruise which has honored more than 250 volunteers since the program began in 2009. Volunteers like Jesse Lockhart, who gives his time as an advocate for children’s rights and takes care of those who are abused or neglected through Rainbow House Children’s Resource Center.
This year’s honorees include Joan Stocker, who is being recognized for her incredible volunteer work with Meals on Wheels. Joan has made over 25,000 house visits and delivered more than 50,000 meals to those in need. Another honoree, Sonia Diaz Agron, is being honored for her service to the 9/11 Tribute Center where she leads tours and tells her personal story of the events of that day. These volunteers represent just a handful of the amazing Community Celebrities whose service makes a positive difference in communities across the country.
The Cabot Community Celebrity Cruise, along with partners AARP Create the Good, National Cooperative Bank and Points of Light’s HandsOn Network are working to evolve the notion of celebrity as recognition of volunteerism. Cabot’s Community Celebrities program, along with its Reward Volunteers and Gratitude Grille programs, make up the core of the cooperative’s Department of Gratitude and illustrate the many ways Cabot’s dairy farm families honor, amplify and reward those who give time to do good. Cabot is proud to celebrate these caring individuals for their good deeds and build networks of help that can last a lifetime.