SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Making A Difference In Virginia
Beach
CHECK OUT THE LATEST HAPPENINGS!
New VB CVB Social
Responsibility Program Rolls Out
After months of collaboration, research and hard work, the
Virginia Beach CVB recently rolled out a comprehensive social
responsibility program. "One Beach, One World" encompasses
the various aspects of the CVB's overall give back program. A
new, online resource is designed to match incoming meeting
planners, conventioneers and group tours with local non-profit
organizations in need of volunteers for short-terms projects.
As a bureau, the Virginia Beach CVB has been recognized as a
trendsetter in the industry when it comes to social responsibility.
The web presence of One Beach, One World completes the CVB's
three-prong approach to giving back: in the local community as a
department, on the road as part of sales missions, and online for
groups planning to visit our destination.
For more information, visit http://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/meetingplanners/giveback/
September 4, 2012
Rock 'n' Roll
Half Marathon Brings more than Racers to Virginia Beach Event
Promoter Partners with Convention & Visitors Bureau To Give
Back to the Oceanfront Community
(Virginia Beach, VA - September 4, 2012) Thousands of
racers met the challenge of the 12th annual Rock 'n' Roll Virginia
Beach Half Marathon over Labor Day weekend despite warm
temperatures and high humidity. By mid-Sunday, new champions
were crowned in the men's and women's races. Nicholas Kurgat
of Kenya was the first across the finish line on the Virginia Beach
boardwalk, covering the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 4 minutes and
45 seconds. Running her first race in the United States,
21-year-old Rei Ohara from Japan won the women's race in
1:13:38.
Thanks to the generosity of the event promoters,
Competitor Group, Inc., (CGI), several local charities also ended
up winners as well. As racers and spectators geared up for
post-race celebrations, CGI and members of the Virginia Beach
Convention & Visitors Bureau (VBCVB) organized distribution to
local food pantries and shelters the dozens of cases of bottled
water and sport drinks on hand after the race.
Jennifer Vaughan, Volunteer & Pantry Manager at The
Potter's House, arrived at the pickup location with one helper, a
hand truck and a grocery shopping cart. Vaughan grinned when
she spied the pallets sitting on the boardwalk, stacked high with
cases of beverages. "Looks like we're coming back with the van!" an
excited Vaughan exclaimed. Four trips and a few hours
later, Vaughan was back at the pantry calling other charities to
come share in the wealth of the donations.
CGI, headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a leading media
and event entertainment company dedicated to the endurance sports
industry of running, cycling and triathlons. One of their
core national events is the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series which
brings thousands of sports enthusiasts to Virginia Beach
annually.
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August 7, 2012
2012 DC Sales
Blitz End on High Note
Virginia Beach CVB Leads the Way in Emerging Industry
Trends
The Virginia Beach CVB Meetings & Convention Sales Team held
their 2012 DC Sales Blitz during the week of July 22. This annual
sales initiative includes local industry partners who travel with
CVB sales staff in teams to make sales calls in the DC-Metro area.
This year, six teams, each led by a CVB sales manager, met with
meeting planners from more than 80 organizations.
Each call ended with the CVB teams presenting their prospects
with a note card thanking them for their time and outlining the
CVB's intention to make a donation to a Virginia Beach charity in
their name. This practice represents CVB's commitment to being a
leader in the travel and tourism industry trend of replacing
material gifts with the gift of charity.
For this sales mission, a food drive for The Potter's House, a
food pantry in the heart of the Virginia Beach resort area, was
held. Donations were collected from the CVB sales staff and the
industry partners represented during the blitz. The food drive was
a huge success and resulted in the collection of more than 200
pounds of non-perishable food, which was graciously accepted by
volunteers from The Potter's House donations during the sales
wrap-up meeting on August 7.
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SOUP'S ON!
The Convention and Visitors Bureau held a 2012
Spring Tourism Industry Meeting. More than 160 people and
BCF, an advertising and public relations firm, donated more than
450 cans of Campbell's soup for the Potter's House, a local food
pantry. Presenting the the meeting was David Stangis, vice
president of corporate social responsibility and community affairs
for the Campbell Soup Company.
Pictured from left: Elizabeth Parker, Virginia Beach Convention
and Visitors Bureau (CVB); Shevonne Morgan, CVB; Jennifer Vaughn,
Potter's House; David Stangis, Campbell Soup Company; Jim
Ricketts, Director of CVB; Rubylee Gardner, CVB and Tiffany
Twine, CVB.
United Way + Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors
Bureau = Social
Responsibilty
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| Hand in hand, we can do something good. The Virginia Beach
Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with the United Way of
South Hampton Roads to provide convention delegates a chance to
give back to the community during their time in Virginia Beach.
This new program invites visitors to join in our mission to enhance
our seaside destination and its natural and historic treasures,
with the hope that meeting-goers will reap the rewards - both of
the long-term results and the immediate feel-good benefits of
pitching in. |
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Simply review the list of
agencies providing volunteer opportunities and coordinate the
details with the CVB's Volunteer Resource Manager, Renée Berry, at
(757) 385-2000 or rberry@vbgov.com.
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BE RESPONSIBLE & RECYCLE!
The Virginia Beach Convention Center diverted
69.28 tons of recyclable material
from the landfill in 2010! That's the same weight as 10
African Bush Elephants or at least 2 Humpback Whales seen off the
VB coast!
The majority of VBCC recycling is through their partnership
with TFC Recycling. TFC provides single stream recycling
which includes: paper, cardboard, plastic and glass bottles,
and aluminum, steel and tin cans. TFC recycled 54.12 tons
from our building in 2010.
Please see the chart below for additional recycling details:
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Material
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Quantity
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Recycling Vendor
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Batteries
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100 lbs. or .05 tons
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Veolia Environmental Services
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Incandescent Light Bulbs
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112 lamps
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Veolia Environmental Services
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Wood Pallets
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182 or 3.19 tons (approx. 35 lbs. each)
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Steve's Pallets
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Cooking Oil
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1,915 lbs. or .96 tons
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Valley Proteins, Inc.
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Donated Food Overages
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2,323 lbs. or 1.16 tons
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Judeo-Christian Outreach Center
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Food Compost
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19,600 lbs. or 9.8 tons
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Natural Organic Process Enterprises, Inc. (NOPE)
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Single Stream Recycling
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54.12 tons
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TFC Recycling
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TOTAL
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69.28 TONS
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They also collected tubular fluorescent light bulbs,
crushing them in our bulb eater and capturing the mercury for
proper disposal. They have disposed of approximately 640
bulbs, but are unable to verify the weight. The bulb
eater collects the crushed glass in a 55 gallon drum that they
have yet to fill.
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