Alaska cruise benefits Habitat for Humanity

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Habitat for Humanity of Springfield is Alaska-bound.|ret||ret||tab|

The local organization, in association with Springfield Travel Management Inc., is offering the Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Aug. 5-12 aboard Princess Cruise Line's new Ocean Princess. |ret||ret||tab|

The seven-day cruise boards at Vancouver, Canada, Aug. 5 and includes the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Seward and College Fjord, which features 16 tidewater glaciers. |ret||ret||tab|

"This is our first year, and we originally thought it would be a really neat annual fund-raiser," said Lindsey DuMas, community relations coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Springfield. "I don't know if it will become an annual event, but we are excited to do it this year."|ret||ret||tab|

For every cruise that is sold, a $300, tax-deductible donation goes to the local Habitat for Humanity.|ret||ret||tab|

In addition to helping out the local Habitat, travelers will have the option of helping with a one-day blitz build of a Habitat home in Juneau Aug. 8.|ret||ret||tab|

"We are going in as volunteers. The foundation and floors will be there, and we are going to raise the walls of the house," said Debra Nordberg, TMI's Springfield branch manager.|ret||ret||tab|

The construction project features a picnic, plus flower box and birdhouse building for children. |ret||ret||tab|

After the cruise ends at the fishing village of Seward, travelers may take a side trip to the Kenai Peninsula before boarding an evening flight home from Anchorage, or they may stay on for a couple of extra days to volunteer with the Anchorage Habitat for Humanity.|ret||ret||tab|

The idea for the cruise came from Nordberg who, in addition to being a travel professional, is chapel attendant at Stone Chapel where Habitat's office is located.|ret||ret||tab|

"She stopped by on a weekday, picked up some information and was really interested in Habitat for Humanity and wanted to do some type of fund-raiser with TMI and Habitat," DuMas said.|ret||ret||tab|

Nordberg, along with TMI owner Rhonda Sand, sat down with DuMas to find a way to help.|ret||ret||tab|

"Out of the three of us together, the vision came about," Nordberg said.|ret||ret||tab|

"We just started talking about possible fund-raisers with a cruise or some other travel package, and we decided Alaska was a really neat place to go," DuMas said.|ret||ret||tab|

The goal of the cruise is to raise enough money to sponsor a new house. And TMI has carried the idea fu+rther, pairing other travel experiences to such destinations as Hawaii and Egypt with fund raising for Habitat chapters all over the country.|ret||ret||tab|

Prices for the Alaska cruise begin at $2,051 per person based on double occupancy. Package prices include round-trip airfare from Tulsa, Okla., all meals aboard ship, ground transportation to and from the ship and to and from the build site in Juneau, and a $300 per person donation to Habitat for Humanity of Springfield. |ret||ret||tab|

For more information about the cruise, call 885-1110. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, call 831-3841.|ret||ret||tab|

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