Teammates From East Coast's Largest Campground Compete In Christmas Challenge To Benefit Holiday Charity

Myrtle Beach, S.C. (PRWEB) November 23, 2011

Myrtle Beachs Ocean Lakes Family Campground (http://www.oceanlakes.com), a division of The Jackson Companies, has kicked off its Christmas Challenge. This competition, which runs through Saturday, Nov. 26, has a three-fold focus on recycling, charity and saving money in todays economy. The Christmas Challenge will enable the campground to raise and donate proceeds to Substitutes for Santa, a local charity that provides a Christmas experience to between 50 and 85 underprivileged children from the Loris and Myrtle Beach communities.

The challenge asks the campgrounds teammates to decorate a tree or wreath as best they can without purchasing any decorations and only using items they find in their own offices. The Ocean Lakes Family Campground judges will cast ballots during the week for winners in three categories: Most Festive, Wow! and Most Creative Use of Departmental Supplies. Ocean Lakes guests and teammates will vote for the Peoples Choice. Winners will be announced at The Jackson Companies Teammates Awards Breakfast and on the Ocean Lakes Facebook page on Dec. 12.

Christmas Challenge entries will be sold through a silent auction during Thanksgiving week while the campground is nearly full with more than 20,000 guests. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Substitutes for Santa.

In light of the countrys tough economic times, Ocean Lakes Marketing department came up with the Christmas Challenge idea a few years ago as a fun way to save money and help the staff get in the holiday spirit.

We came up with this challenge in 2008 and the teammates loved it; so in hindsight, we thought we should have auctioned them off for charity, said Barb Krumm, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Ocean Lakes Family Campground. We brought the Christmas Challenge back in 2011, and the teammate response has been overwhelming. They are already plotting next years challenge. This time we planned enough in advance to include our guests votes and an auction for charity.

In the past, theres been no limit to the teammates creativity. The Ocean Lakes Storage and Transport Department previously made a wreath out of a blown camper tire, decorated with flashing tail lights, mangled camper parts and reflectors. Security staff at the 310-acre campground created a wreath with old uniform shirts, handcuffs, reports, confiscated items and a flashing blue light.

The 2011 challenge continues to showcase the teammates creativity with departmental supplies including old fluorescent bulbs, orange caution cones, unused toilet plungers, iCare Program dog biscuits and mutt mitts, tools, toilet paper, and garden hose. This year, Security teammates formed the wreath itself out of caution tape. The Accounting Department crafted beautiful angels with halos out of coin wrappers and garland from dollar bill wrappers.

In all, there are 14 departments participating in the 2011 Christmas Challenge. Teammates are hoping to raise $ 1,000 for Substitutes for Santa, giving 10 underprivileged children a Christmas shopping spree with volunteer Santas.

For more information about Ocean Lakes, visit its website, follow the campground on Twitter or like it on Facebook.

About Ocean Lakes Family Campground

Ocean Lakes Family Campground, a division of The Jackson Companies, is the largest campground on the East Coast and one of the largest in the United States. Located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., it has received numerous awards for excellence. In 2010, it received the Earth Day Award from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control for its iCare Program. It is the 2008-2009 National RV Park of the Year and has received that honor from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) four times. In 2006, Ocean Lakes received the prestigious South Carolina Governors Cup for making a significant economic impact on South Carolina. Ocean Lakes covers 310 oceanfront acres with nearly one mile of beachfront. It offers 3,447 sites 893 of which are large and pull-through to accommodate larger RVs. It was built by Mary Emily and Nelson Jackson and their five daughters, starting in 1970. It opened with 30 campsites and one bathhouse in 1971. On an average seasonal day, Ocean Lakes has 25,000 - 30,000 guests enjoying the countless amenities that have made it a local favorite and a national vacation destination. It currently holds a 9.5/9/9.5 ranking out of 10/10/10 from the Trailer Life Directory for its overall operation, recreational offerings, services and appearance.

Ocean Lakes Family Campground is a division of The Jackson Companies, a family-owned enterprise that includes Prestwick Golf & Country Club, Ocean Lakes Properties, Crystal Lake Mobile Home Village, Ocean Lakes RV Center, and the master-planned development SayeBrook.

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Gather Friends and Family at La Residence For A Magical Napa Valley Holiday Reunion

Napa, CA (PRWEB) November 01, 2011

Napa Valleys La Residence, a beautiful boutique wine country inn, makes Napa Valley holiday reunions simply magical this holiday season or any season, for any reason with its new Gather Friends & Family package. One family can call the 26-room Inn their own with this two night package, packed full of Wine Country experiences sure to nurture good will. Gather Friends & Family includes wine tasting, blending and dinner in HALL Winerys breathtaking cave, spa treatments, a professional photographer, transportation and more.

Gather Friends & Family begins with pre-arrival planning with La Residences concierge, whose intimate knowledge of the Napa Valley wine country will help personalize the package to each groups specific desires. Then the reunion begins with a wine and cheese reception as friends and family gather at the inns lovely dining room and terrace. A Napa-style dinner follows, featuring local ingredients paired with wines from HALL winery and Roessler Cellars.

The next day, after a hearty breakfast, families and friends can explore wine country in limousine buses, enjoy a relaxing one hour massage or facial or simply enjoy the Inns pool and hot tub or stroll through the lushly landscaped two acres of gardens and working vineyards. That evening, family and friends gather at prestigious HALL Winery for a wine blending competition, followed by a reception in the winerys Grand Salon and dinner in the winerys stunning cave.

The HALL Winerys signature cave was designed and hand-built by Friedrich Gruber of Gutenstein, Austria. The cave is finished with handmade Austrian brick recovered from sites in and around Vienna and showcases select works from the Halls art collection. Dinner is served deep inside the cave in the Chandelier Room, named for the spectacular chandelier, designed by Donald Lipski and Jonquil LeMaster, dressed in hundreds of Swarovski crystals.

Ensuring that memories of Gather Friends and Family are never-ending, a professional photographer is included in the package for four hours to capture the magic. A CD of the photos will be provided.

Day two can include more Napa Valley exploration of the groups choice of wineries in limousine buses, shopping or just relaxing at the inn.

Uniquely appointed guest rooms, cottages and suites are located in the original Historic Mansion, built in 1870, along with four separate buildings, scattered throughout the grounds. Spacious accommodations feature wood burning fireplaces in most rooms, lush linens and bedding, private verandas overlooking the vineyards, flat screen televisions, CD players, iPod/ MP3 docking stations and complimentary wireless internet access. Guests are welcomed with a gift basket filled with gourmet Napa Valley delights and a bottle of HALL wine. A hearty breakfast each morning, two spa treatments per guest room and on-site parking are also included.

Gather Friends & Family can accommodate up to 52 people and starts at $ 85,000 for two nights. For information and reservations, please call the hotel at 1-800-253-9203, email

contactus(at)laresidence(dot)com or visit http://www.laresidence.com.

About La Residence

Nestled in the heart of Napa Valley, La Residence is a tranquil gem, featuring spacious guest rooms tucked into more than two acres of lush gardens dotted with Heritage Oaks, towering redwoods, fruit trees and coi filled ponds with bubbling fountains. Working vineyards are located on the property and border the inn to the north.

All accommodations feature a wealth of amenities including:

Hottest Technology Gift Ideas for Seniors Announced at Beginning of Holiday Shopping Season

New York (PRWEB) November 3, 2005

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, gadgets, gizmos and the latest technology are expected to be among the hottest gifts. But for those buying for aging parents and other seniors, unless carefully selected, technology gifts all too often can set off a case of technophobia that can make even the best intentioned gifts collect closet dust.

Properly selected, technology gifts can make ideal gifts for seniors, says Damian Juarez-Mrazek, senior marketing manager for 77Blue, creators of leading discount online shopping sites, Cashbaq and AnyCoupons.com. There are a range of hot gadgets and technologies available that are easy to use and can help bring the power of technology home to the senior in your family.

The secret to successful technology gifts for seniors, he adds is to carefully choose technology gifts that enhance seniors lifestyles and interests in practical ways. Its not so much about the glitz or the design, or many of the attributes that tech-heads crave, its about how this can positively impact their lifestyle, he adds.

Technology gifts can enhance some of the lifestyle desires most important to many seniors, such as better communication with family, and entertainment designed around their schedule, not vice versa. Be sure to focus on ease-of-use, which sometimes means selecting a product that has a generation or two of maturity under its belt so that all kinks are worked out.

Cashbaqs top five technology gifts for seniors based on ability to enhance lifestyle and ease of use are as follows: