I Heart Quebec!

I really shouldn’t be all that surprised that a city full of cheese, wine, chocolate and beautiful art and scenery would win me over. I guess I am surprised at how quickly I have fallen head over heels in love with Quebec City. For those who have been, you must completely understand. For those of you who haven’t, you should drop everything, jump on a plane and visit this quaint, European-esque city in the heart of Quebec Province. It is well worth the trek, as today on my tours I met visitors from all over the USA, Brazil, Portugal and France. Six million visitors flock to Quebec city each year, and for a darned good reason!

Welcome!

So Quebec City was our final blood clinic cruiser event. While blood clinics are a absolutely vital necessity in every community, I can’t completely say that I am heartbroken at the thought of a different type of event. I have seen more blood this week then I ever want to again, but it was for a good cause and I am so very proud of all of those who have donated. Including my new friend Sophie at the Delta Quebec. Sophie started with Delta this week. She has never given blood before and was very nervous going in. However, she overcame her fears and donated without any issues. In the end she was extremely proud of herself (as were we!) for doing something so simple, yet so impactful. For every one pint of blood collected, four recipients lives may be saved. What an amazing thing to do. While the team were aiming for a total of 70 donours, they hit a fantastic 60!!

Mon Amie Sophie!

So all day the hotel had been hinting at a surprise for Jean and I at the conclusion of the blood-clinic. We were very excited and nervous, as we had no idea what it could be. However, come three o’clock we were elated to find out that our surprise was a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city. We were accompanied by the very fantastic General Manager of the Delta Quebec, Monsieur Stephan Guy. After touring the city and a little break back at the hotel, Jean and I headed out for our night on the town. We started with the cities best poutine (as per many locals) at Le Cafe Ashton. We then met Stephan and all walked down to the free Cirque du Soleil show which was held under a bridge close to the hotel. It was my first Cirque show and I was already in love with the wild costumes and stunning acrobatics. Once the show finished, I thought that the evening couldn’t get any better, but Stephan was right in that it did.

Ashton Poutin! Yum!

Stephan took Jean and I to see Le moulin a image. It is a film composed by famous Quebec director Robert Lepage. The film is all images of Quebec city, along with musical accompaniment. What amazed me about it, is that the film was projected onto a gigantic grain silo in the center of the city. We were able to sit on a hill in front of the long silo and watch the images as the moved along the buildings. It was absolutely fantastic. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of the images as they danced before me. Sadly the show came to an end but in true French fashion we then looked for a nice place to have a glass of wine. By the end of the night I was pooped, but in absolute adoration with Quebec city. It has a heart to it that I have not seen quite so strong anywhere else (except in our Delta Hotels of course).

Stephan and Jean

In our carriage

Suzanne

All Smiles in Sherbrooke

To be perfectly honest, which is the French way, I have never really considered Sherbrooke to be one of my top travel destinations. This was until I had the great pleasure of spending some time there. Jean and I arrived to a wonderful greeting from the staff at the Delta Sherbrooke. We were then escorted to a fantastic reception with some of the managers at a local brewery, which the hotel has partnered with in some charity events. This brewery, called Siboire, was fantastic, serving delicious food and even a beer specially created for Habitat for Humanity, with proceeds going to the amazing charity. The only thing more amazing then the location, was the company. We were sincerely entertained by the fine gentleman who sought so genuinely to make us feel welcome in their quaint city.

Beer for a Benefit!

After some pints and some nibblies, we were taken on a walking tour of the beautiful city of Sherbrooke. This year it celebrated it’s 225 birthday. The buildings are historic and the streets are lined with greenery and flowers. There are murals covering the city walls and even a magnificent water-fall flowing through the city-center. After a leisurely stroll we were given the great honour of attending a local production called Omaterra. It is a Cirque-de-soleil-esque show in water. It was a tumbling, bouncing, flying wonderment that left Jean and I spellbound for nearly an hour and a half. Though we didn’t want the night to end, Jean and I finally called it quits and headed back to the hotel for a sound nights sleep.

City centre water-fall all lit up!

We began today at a coffee-break with the hotel staff in honour of the Blood Drive event which would be held later in the day. We were able to meet many of the fantastic staff that make this team so welcoming. After some free-time, in which I continue to try to lose some of this “Cruiser Weight” as I call it, we met much of the management team for lunch. Where I proceeded to put back on the “Cruiser Weight” I had just taken off. C’est la vie!

The missing ones weren't me....

Finally at 2pm the blood drive with Hema Quebec began. Jean and I are fairly well versed in blood drives these days, as this is our third this week. However, we were completely surprised to arrive at the door where the clinic was to be held, to find 40 people already in line and waiting. The remainder of the day flowed as quickly as the blood into the Hema Quebec bags. Jean and I were given the great pleasure of making Mango and Strawberry smoothies for the donours, once they were finished. We enjoyed talking to the donours, as well as sampling the smoothies here and there.

Taste testers...

Needless to say, we were sad to leave the team, the hotel and the city behind. Sherbrooke was not a town I would think to visit as a destination, prior to today. However, after visiting it’s city streets and it’s people, I am certain that I will be back, when I go back to my “real” life, which is quickly approaching. For now, we are off to historic Quebec City, for one more blood drive and a ton of fun!

Big ole hearts!

Suzanne

Au Revoir Montreal!

Straight From the Heart!

So today was the second half of our two day stint in Montreal. We began the day with another hearty breakfast with the Delta Montreal’s hotel staff and then visited the Hema Quebec blood donation room in the upper lobby of the hotel. The upper lobby and main entrance ways were transformed into a welcoming clinic, with no sight of the scary needles for those passing through. We were happy to see many of the same folks with Hema Quebec from yesterdays donation clinic as well.

Happy Hema Quebec Ladies!

Todays goal was another lofty 50 people. While the Delta Montreal staff felt that this was an achievable goal, we mentioned how difficult it seems to be to get people to donate blood these days. The Hema Quebec staff agreed with me and expressed their gratitude to the Delta Hotels in Quebec for bringing awareness to such a worthy cause, at a time when blood is greatly in need.

While Jean and I were both unable to donate, we held hands and chatted with those who were, many of them once again being hotel staff. We had some tentative “Nouveau Donneurs” who took it very well and were entertained by my mediocre French. In the end we had a total of 22 donours at the Delta Montreal. Which makes a total of 52 donours over the past two days. Combined the hotels achieved their goal and gave back an extremely vital necessity to their community.

Not so scary!

Before we were to take to the road once again, Jean and I were honoured to be the special guests at yet another fantastic reception. After more pictures, more eating and some quick speeches, we were off, heading towards the Delta Sherbrooke. Au Revoir Montreal! We had an absolutely wonderful visit!

A Cruiser Cake!

Suzanne

La Belle Provence!

While I fully suspect that I will find my journey through Quebec will expose me to breath-taking landscapes and beautiful historical villages, at this point “Le Belle Provence”, to me, is referring to the people. Jean and I were extremely fortunate to begin our tour of Quebec at the Delta Centre-Ville. We arrived at the hotel to a fantastic welcome from the eager staff and then directed towards our rooms, which happened to be on the top floor overlooking the entire city of Montreal. If that didn’t make us feel like celebrities, then being wined and dined at a very trendy restaurant in Old Montreal by the Delta Centre-Ville and Delta Montreal Leadership team members sure did. Jean and I were spoiled, and we loved every minute of it!

One of the first things that I heard about this team is that they act Straight From the Heart in everything that they do. While Jean and I experienced the spirit of this first-hand, we also witnessed it in it’s literal form. Today’s event was the start of a week-long Blood Drive in association with Hema Quebec. The hotel and the fantastic volunteers and employees of Hema Quebec established a make-shift blood-clinic in one of the hotel’s ballrooms for generous donors to give their blood. The goal was a lofty one at 50 people. While we didn’t attain this goal, we did have a fantastic 30 individuals turnout to give back! Many of these donors were hotel staff members themselves, including our generous host and hostess from the evening before Monsieur Larivee and Madame Bouchard.

What leadership!

Mid-way through the day the hotel also provided a monstrous lunch to the staff and Hema Quebec volunteers, as a thank you for the amazing work that they do every day. Now this is day 50 of my tour and I have attended many, many, many BBQ’s by this point. While they have all been great, I have NEVER seen a staff meal quite like this. There were the usual salads and hamburgers, but then there were stuffed potatoes, sauteed shrimp, vegetable skewers and so much more. Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I adore food. Thanks to this amazing job of mine, it has started to show. So my new-found friend, Marie-Josee Bouchard, accompanied me to their state-of-the-art fitness facility to work off some of the fromage et chocolate.

So much food....

After lunch, the afternoon flew by. By 3pm the Hema Quebec folks were packing up their clinic and heading off to set-up tomorrow’s clinic at the Delta Montreal. Once again in fantastic Quebec fashion, another lavish party was thrown to thank the volunteers and to bid farewell to Jean and I. While we were sad to leave, we weren’t going far, just two blocks away to the Delta Montreal.

Team members

What a fantastic start, from a team that knows no other way then to act straight from the heart. Bon travail!

Suzanne

Never Go to Bed on an Empty Tummy!

So new beginnings. Every time one Ambassador finishes and another starts, I’m not sure how to feel. Carys and I became quick friends and I soon found that she had a fantastic way of making everything shine. So needless to say I was sad and a little lost with the thought of her staying in London, and the Quebec Regional Ambassador Jean Brillant and I moving along to Ottawa. I neednt worry however, as Jean has a similar sense of excitement and life that I adore in Carys. So after a quick and delicious meal at the Delta London Armouries, and a fantastic nights sleep, Jean and I were off on a much anticipated road-trip to the Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites.

Another hand-over of Prius keys!

Jean’s very first duty, upon my request, was to navigate us to Ottawa as quickly as possible (of course without speeding in the Delta cruiser!) as I had a special surprise waiting there for me, my boyfriend Aaron! Aaron flew in for the weekend to tour around Ottawa with me. We had a blast checking out the cities museums, tours and markets and dining on fantastic local cuisine, especially the Beaver Tails! One of my favourite purchases, which I am extremely proud to promote, is a necklace produced by an artist who recycles used diamond core samples. She cuts the samples into shapes and paints on them and then sells them at local markets. What a clever and fantastic way to reuse that which someone else considers waste!

Beaver-Tails!

The weekend quickly came to an end, Aaron went back to Cow-town and Jean and I found ourselves ready for his first event. Which just so happened to be where he works, at the Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites. The event was called “Take a Bite out of Hungry!”. The staff had collected food and money for the last several months to be given to the Ottawa Food Bank. As a very clever marketing ploy, they created a bed out of the cans and boxes in their lobby. This brought out a handful of the local media, which brings more awareness to their fantastic cause. Jean and I had the great pleasure of building a night-stand out of these items as well!

As the camera lights faded, we loaded all of the food into boxes and the staff of the Ottawa Food Bank transported these items in their spacious trucks. We then all reconvened at the Food Bank itself where we were given the task of sorting the food. I have done a handful of these food drives now and this is the first time we have been given the task of sorting the food our staff has donated. It was an absolute blast and gave us an even better idea as to what goes where at the local food banks. The Ottawa Food Bank is a bit unique as it is a warehouse, rather than a direct person-to-person distribution centre. It serves approximately 136 Food Banks in the area by sending them boxes of their requested foods every week. So our job was to sort like foods with like foods into boxes, so that the warehouse workers would know who was to receive what.

Boxes of Delta donated food

Once all was said and done, the Delta Ottawa Hotels and Suites staff donated $561 and a 1/2 tonne of food to the Ottawa Food Bank, just from this event alone. What a fantastic job team!

Eager sorters!

Then we were off! Jean and I hit the road once again, this time towards our first stop in Quebec; the Delta Centre-Ville!

Suzanne

One Tonne –scratch that- Two tonne Challenge

I will try my darnedest not to let my bias squeeze out in the following blog but a forewarning to the readers; this is my last event in my home city, last day with Suzanne- the most amazing National Ambassador and new found friend, and subsequently my last blog. I couldn’t possibly be more proud of my Delta London Armouries team for making July 15th 2010 a day to remember.

Hank Stackhouse, or ‘Uncle Hank’ as I like to call him, asked me a rather startling question in my interview for the Delta Community Cruiser. “Carys, what is Delta doing for you? Why do you want to work for Delta?” Peppered with joy, I answered “I believe that Delta invests in me, allowing me to be a better person, evidenced by myDelta training.” More recently, my most fabulous co-workers proved to me yet again why I want to be a Delta employee at our One Tonne Food Challenge and BBQ.

Volunteers and pals from Delta London Armouries

The Delta London Armouries partnered up with the London Food Bank this year with hopes of raising one tonne of non-perishable food items, hence the clever name, “One Tonne Food Challenge”. DLA employees managed to bring in roughly 3,100 pounds, surpassing their already hefty goal. Then, John’s Fruit and Vegetables donated roughly 650 pounds of fresh food, and our delicious BBQ on July 15th raised another 368 lbs, ultimately raising 4118 lbs!!!! Also, DLA collected $822.45 from staff, guests and BBQ donations which will be used to purchase more carrots, cabbage, apples and oranges for the food bank.

Food! Food! Food!

Doubling our goal contributed to making the event a success, but more importantly the volunteers and DLA staff truly made me realize what makes my hotel so amazing. Your hard work, unlimited energy and passion made my day. Thank you for ‘keepin it real’ you made me proud!

Always time for fun...

To my lovely NATIONAL Ambassador Suzanne, you are absolutely amazing and I’m glad I experienced Ontario with you! I know you will continue to have a superb time and I can’t wait to see you again in Calgatious!

New found friends!

Lastly, Uncle Hank…the cruiser needs to be a permanent job. I’ll make it happen. I had a blast, this is my most favourite Delta experience and I’m not ready to end it.

Cruisin'!

Carys Ruth Roberts
Ontario Regional Ambassador/Potential Permanent Cruiser

The Great Sandwich Race!

So Carys and were girlie girls (when aren’t we!) and stayed up late last night to watch The Hill Series Finale! Needless to say, we were dragging our tails this morning when we had to rise and shine pretty early. While event-days are always exciting, the early morning rise can sometimes be a bit of a struggle to overcome. However, this morning we were extremely surprised walking into the magnificent ballroom at the Delta Kitchener to mass amounts of cheering, dancing and sheer insanity! It was brilliant and a great way to get-out of your early morning funk!

GOOOOOOD MOOOOOORRRRNIIIINNNNGGG!!!

Today was the2nd annual “Take a Bite out of Hungry” event to be held at the Delta Kitchener! Last year the team had completed a similar event, in which the hotel made a large quantity of sandwiches and then transported them to the St. Johns Soup Kitchen to disperse to their clients. This year however, they did things a bit differently! The employees of this fantastic hotel wanted to be a bit more involved, so they arranged teams, created costumes and team-names and prepared a fantastic competition room for the Great Sandwich Race!

Check out all of the costumes!

Carys and I, along with other dignitaries, including the Mayor of Kitchener, a few members of Parliament and a representative from the St. John’s Soup Kitchen, were the Quality Control Inspectors. Our roles were to ensure that our specific teams sandwiches, which were being made at a very swift pace in a conveyor belt like fashion, were edible for the patrons of the Soup Kitchen. While all participants were encouraged to fight for first place, we still needed the food to be as tasty as possible for those who would be receiving them at lunch-time.

Amid horns, screams, cheers and a fantastic live-band (who may or may not have been from Calgary!) the aptly named “The Winning Team” made their way to the podium to announce their first place spot. Quickly after this announcement, most teams finished and a massive pile of sandwich containers was created in the centre of the ballroom. What a visual for the employees to see! What good can be done, in such a short time, while still having fun!

Lunch Boxes!

Carys and I then had the honour (and I mean HONOUR!) of assisting in the transportation of the lunch boxes to the St. Johns Kitchen. The gratitude that we received upon our arrival, from the staff particularly, was heart-warming. However, what nearly got the old tear-ducts working for me, was when the Head Chef came to us and thanked us straight from her heart for making this meal, so that she could take the time to clean her ovens, rather than having to cook all morning.

Look at that oven shine!

It was such a simple thing to do. All we did was make a bunch of sandwiches. However, it brought together people from all departments and all types of employment levels (even some Corporate folks from the Big Smoke showed up, haha! Ya Ben and Krystal!). They cheered for one another and they worked together for fun. However, at the end of the day they fed people who need to be fed and gave a break to those who normally do so much for others. I was truly moved today by the spirits of all those I met and I give sincere kudos to the Delta Kitchener team. There is something to be said for helping out, but I am speechless, when you can feel how it has overwhelmingly come straight from the heart!

Very Important People!

Suzanne

Fences for Families

A fence is more than just a few pieces of wood and some nails. A fence is a support-system that embraces daily interactions and events inside of it’s quiet space.

Today a fence was the first part of a new life for two families in Guelph, Ontario. One of these two families is a single mother of three children, two of whom were adopted from her addicted sister (one child which now has fetal-alcohol syndrome). The other family is that of four children and one grand-child who desperately want a place of their own to play. If these stories weren’t enough to motivate the staff of the Delta Guelph to assist in our Habitat for Humanity build, then the promise of a delicious Barbequed lunch mid-day sure was!

Habitat for Humanity mural!

After an educational start to the day (No shorts on the work-site!) we were split into two teams. The first team was to spend the morning in the humid yard of the Guelph ReStore site, cutting, nailing and constructing fences for the upcoming Bagot Street build. The remaining volunteers had the pleasure of painting a beautiful mural on the Habitat ReStore’s main wall. This seemed a better option to Carys and I for awhile, as it was once again swelteringly humid outside. However, we did make our way outside long enough to pose for some pictures, haha! We did actually swing a few hammers and pound a few nails before the lunch-bell rung!

See we do work!

So those who had not long ago been working away with saws and hammers were now handing out food-plates and carrying signs in order to entice those passing by to the Delta Guelphs sponsored BBQ. While we didn’t have a huge turn-out, all donations help Habitat to do what they do best! The afternoon saw the teams return to their tasks at hand and complete them in record time.

Hungry Builders

Carys and I had an absolute blast working with this incredible team. We sincerely enjoyed their genuine enthusiasm and impressive work-ethic, even though it made us look bad!

What a team!

I also thought, as many people back home have been asking, that this would be a great time to debut my fantastic pink work-boots! I finally got to break them in! They look much better with a little hard-work dirt on their soles!

Pink Boots! Yes, I'm girlie...

Suzanne

In The Big Smoke… minus the Smoke!

Toronto, known as “The Big Smoke” wasn’t so smoky on July 9th as it rained for most of the morning. This put only a slight damper on our BBQ in downtown Toronto, which was in support of Habitat for Humanity. The eager volunteers from Delta Toronto East, Delta Chelsea and Delta Corporate worked diligently in the pouring rain, sporting raincoats, ponchos and umbrellas to help create a BBQ haven for Toronto passers- by.

Just singing in the rain...

Leading up to the event, our time had been spent trying to stay cool and out of the blistering hot sun and record setting temperatures. We could have used the rain then, but of course, it had to rain on the only day of the week which was our event day. Prior to the event Suzanne and I relaxed and enjoyed our most fantastic stay at the Delta Toronto East, where Suz couldn’t be happier to receive from the hotel, a fluffy white polar bear from the Toronto Zoo. As she reminds me every time that she sees it, it reminds her of her little pup back home, Rilo Kiley.

Our Friends at the Delta Toronto East

After a full nights rest, we were off to the heart of the city. Initially, our team was concerned about the rain but I felt that it allowed me to put my sales skills to practice, as I would eventually like to move into that field. Fortunately, shortly after 12pm the weather was on our side and the people of Toronto stepped out of their offices looking for a scrumptious place to eat lunch. For a minimum of a $5 donation, customers would receive a burger or a sausage, an ice cold bottle of water and a bag of Miss Vicki’s Original potato chips.

Yummmmmmmmyyyyyy!!!

Volunteers held signs, waved pedestrians down and motivated the crowd towards the BBQ. If that wasn’t enough, Chef Rene and his crew of grillers filled the air with deliciousness, enticing locals to join the crowd.

Our outdoor ‘home away from home’ atmosphere proved to be just the right spot for hungry citizens, as we raised just over a thousand dollars in support of Habitat for Humanity!

Keepin' the people fed!

It was a great turn out and thank you again to the wonderful Delta staff of Toronto and GTA.
Carys

The Sweetest Stuff in the Bus

One of the biggest, most fantastic aspects of this tour, aside from the amazing staff and the phenomenal events, has been the eating! I have eaten across almost 7,000 km of this land and have loved every single minute of it!! Today was different in only that it was a day of both eating, as well as feeding!

Food, Food, Food!!!

Carys and I joined the fantastic staff at the Delta Toronto Airport West to kick-off the “Stuff the Bus” food-drive in Mississauga. Along with some kind-hearted volunteers from the hotel and our impressive driver Mohammed, we visited seven corporations in the local area, which collected food from their employees in order to participate in this worthy event. Our bus was filling just about as quickly as the mercury was rising in the humid air.

After dropping our volunteers off at the hotel, we moved onto the Delta Meadowvale Hotel and Conference Center, where we were greeted with an outstanding welcome from the hot and yet happy employees!! After many pictures were taken and our bellies were filled, we were off with our new crew of volunteers. After visiting eight more companies and collecting their kind-hearted donations, we made our way to our final destination, the Mississauga Food Bank.

Delta Toronto Airport West and Delta Meadowvale Team!

Now this is my third visit to a food-bank, on the tour. I have learned something at every one of these stops and am sincerely moved by the work that these people do. The Mississauga food-bank serves as a warehouse and service center for all seven of Mississauga’s individual food-banks. They feed 12,000 mouths a month, with a shocking 47% of them being children.

Another interesting fact that I learned about the Mississauga food-bank is how environmentally conscious they are within their everyday dealings. This is something extremely close to my heart, so I was ecstatic to learn that they pack-down and recycle all of their non-reusable card-board boxes, they compost all unused foods and boast energy-friendly light-bulbs through-out the entire warehouse. So not only are they creating friendly futures for their clients, but for the Earth as well!

Earth Savers!

Today the “Stuff the Bus” initiative provided 3120 lbs of new food to assist in filling the bellies of the local community. While the unfortunate job of feeding the hungry is never finished, the Delta Toronto Airport West, Delta Meadowvale Hotel and Conference Center and their caring clients made a huge difference in the lives of several hundred food-bank visitors. Way to go team! I know that the sweetest stuff in that bus was not the food, but your giant hearts!

One Stuffed Bus!!