OUR 45TH WEEKLY UPDATE REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, AND ONCE AGAIN THIS WEEK FEATURING SOME VERY ENCOURAGING AND UPLIFTING NEWS AND STATISTICS, ALSO INCLUDING A PROFILE OF ANOTHER ONE OF OUR WHITE STAR STAFF MEMBERS, AND SOME PIECES OF ENTERTAINMENT, INCLUDING HUMOR, PATRIOTISM AND COMPASSION
FRIDAY, February 05
FROM CHRIS KRARAS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
“PEOPLE DON’T TAKE TRIPS –
TRIPS TAKE PEOPLE!”
Dear Friends:
Since you are reading this Weekly Message, you have survived the incredible snow storm that hit most parts of our country this past week. Here in Reading, PA, where our office is located, we had over twenty inches of snow! Although it took a lot of hard work by many people to open their driveways and sidewalks, it was certainly the incredible beauty of this winter occurrence that sort of made the whole thing worthwhile. I am sure while many of us were shoveling, it wasn’t quite as exciting, but now that it is over, I hope you have some memories of nature’s beauty.
This week we also received some additional good news regarding the Coronavirus and its effect on our society. Once again, the number of positive test results of COVID-19 continued to drop. The latest statistics from the New York Times states that “new average cases are more than 40% lower this week than at the US peak at the beginning of January. Not only that, but hospitalizations are down significantly from those record highs in early January and the number of deaths has continued to decline”. Clearly this is wonderful news and I appears that we are heading in the right direction.
A couple weeks ago I sent you a short video of a doctor describing the various vaccines that are available, exactly how they work, and their effectiveness. The results today are even more encouraging than they were just three weeks ago. Basically, it has been found that all the vaccines are extremely effective, and they have essentially eliminated the fear of serious illness and death amongst those that have received both shots. This result is what we have been waiting for, my friends, for almost a year now – and it is becoming a reality. In addition, the Federal Government is now ramping up distribution of the vaccine to so many more outlets in addition to just the hospitals, so now the vaccine is more and more available. I would hope that by the time you read this, many more of you will have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and hopefully you are scheduled for the second dose. I want to repeat to all of you who maybe have not gotten that first dose, you need to be proactive in calling all avenues of opportunity out there, including the hospitals, drugstores, and any other centers in your surrounding areas who have been offering the vaccine. It is there! My hope is that within the next three or four weeks all of you will have gotten this vaccine and will have achieved that freedom that we are all looking for to return to life as we knew it.
Here at White Star Tours, the excitement is growing each day as we have more and more responses from Group Leaders all over the country. They are having so much more success in filling their buses for trips that they have scheduled for their Groups in 2021. As a matter of fact, starting at the end of this month, we have several buses that are going to different parts of the United States and we are looking forward to having all of these Group Members enjoy getting back to traveling as they have in the past. As we look into March, April, and May, we have literally hundreds of buses that are lined up and ready to go with the Group Leaders ecstatic that they are able to bring this joy back to their Group Members.
For those of you Group Leaders who still want to add a few more trips into your 2021 Calendar, I just want to remind you that the special bonus we offered of the additional $300.00 for any new trip that is booked for 2021 is available until the end of this month, bringing the TOTAL rebate to you as the Group Leader for all your hard work to a TOTAL of $500.00. Why not give us a call and get that one more trip booked so you can take advantage of this great offer?
This Week’s Staff Profile
Pat Kraras Donahue
Now it is time to feature another member from our White Star Family. This week we feature my sister, Pat Kraras Donahue, affectionately referred to as Tula by all our family and friends. Pat has an incredibly vital role in the day-to-day operations of our company. She actually started getting involved in our company when she was a young girl and she continued helping our family through her High School and College days. In our fifty years of existence, she has been of wonderful service to us for over forty of those years. Her indefatigable duties include accounts receivable, such as payments from Groups and trip insurances. She is also very valuable in adding her years of experience and expertise to assist the Group Leaders as they plan their trips. She is known for developing a personal relationship with virtually every one of the Group Leaders who call and chat with her. Pat is widely regarded for her compassion and dedication to our company, and I honestly don’t know where we would be without her. Thank you, Pat (Tula), for all that you have done, and continue to do, for White Star Tours.
As you know, every week I try to bring you some entertainment in the form of short videos. This week I have three that I thought you would enjoy. The first one is a heartwarming story of a homeless gentleman who was discovered while playing a piano in a large city and how his abilities and talents were discovered and have changed his life. Enjoy this video by clicking here.
The second video I am sharing is one of good humor. How wonderful it is to be able to laugh once and a while! Years ago there was a great comedian by the name of Rodney Dangerfield who had his own brand of humor. Click here for some really good laughs during one of his performances.
Finally, I thought it would be a good time to add a patriotic piece in your Weekly Videos. We were able to locate a beautiful piece featuring a performance by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team. I think your spirits will be raised. Just click here for a great little performance.
As another week comes to a close, I want to thank every one of you for reading my Weekly Notes and for all your many wonderful and heartfelt comments that you send back relative to these emails. I feel that we are really gaining on this pandemic and it won’t be long until you can all get back to your lives as you always knew them. I wish you a happy and healthy weekend. For those that enjoy football, I hope you get a chance to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Take care and God Bless you all!
“THE WORLD IS A BOOK,
AND THOSE WHO DO NOT TRAVEL,
READ ONLY ONE PAGE!”