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My Odyssey
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Odysseys Unlimited
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Philanthropy

Charitable Giving

Our Mission

Odysseys Unlimited is committed to making a positive impact in our world: the communities in which we live and those we visit/serve at home and abroad. We will foster meaningful and enduring cross-cultural partnerships through financial support, donations of goods and services, and gifts of time.

As we have been fortunate to grow as a company over the past 25 years, Odysseys Unlimited is committed to giving back to the world in a more meaningful way, led by the Charitable Giving Committee. Since 2017, we have donated more than $1,200,000, with all funds coming from the company itself (we do not solicit outside contributions). From donations to international humanitarian organizations to volunteer projects at the office, Odysseys and our employees have embraced being part of the global community.

Giving

Our Areas of Impact

International Giving

Supporting the ongoing work of international organizations

Disaster Relief

Donating to disaster relief efforts, both locally and beyond

Local Giving

Giving back to the communities where we live and work

Employee Giving

Providing the opportunity for employees to donate to a charity of their choice

We believe in giving back to those countries that have given us so much through our travels, so we make our most significant donations to international humanitarian organizations (NGOs) whose work spans the globe. The following NGOs represent those we have supported over the years.

Provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.

Helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.

Protecting over 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem of East Africa, Big Life partners with local communities to protect nature for the benefit of all.

The Water Project works with local teams to provide reliable and clean water to villages, schools, and medical clinics in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone.  Projects include new and rehabbed wells, sand dams, rainwater catchment systems and/or spring protections.

Organizing the travel and tourism industry to create positive change through disaster relief efforts, planning for the industry’s future, and creating valuable networking opportunities, TourismCares brings travel together.

A local organization based in Marrakech, Morocco, that works to raise awareness and find sustainable solutions to the most critical issues that directly affect life in Atlas Mountains villages.

Created by our late tour director Antonio Marangabassa and his wife Eunice, Makhanga Hope Academy educates girls in a remote area of Kenya who otherwise would not have access to schooling. Odysseys funded the construction of a dormitory and dining facility for the school.

Works to conserve nature by mitigating human/wildlife conflict in the Ranthambore (India) Tiger Preserve by training local villagers in traditional handcraft skills and creating “a small efficient army of micro-entrepreneurs.”

Helps to bring clean and safe water to the 771 million people around the world who lack basic access.

We donate to international, regional, and local organizations and communities affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and other natural or manmade disasters. Following are among the groups whose disaster relief efforts we have supported in recent years:

Provides disaster preparedness, medical aid, disaster relief, and recovery.

Delivers medical care to millions of people caught in crises around the world.

This veteran-led humanitarian organization serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Works through member organizations and special programs to provide nutritious food to feed people who are hungry as a result of systemic poverty, personal crisis, or disaster.

Distributes food and other essentials to those in need through a network of more than 1,600 community partners.

Supports Ukranians of all faiths both in Krakow and inside Ukraine with food, lodging, and other needs caused by the Russian war.

Engages in the rescues and rehabilitation of native Australian wildlife on a regular basis and in the wake of bushfires and other disasters.

Provides legal and social services to immigrants to the U.S., as well as works to ensure the safety of unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in other countries.

Dedicated to the conservation and promotion of French cultural heritage, the Foundation has helped to raise funds for the rebuilding of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was heavily damaged by fire in 2019.

With a mission to strengthen Los Angeles communities, the foundation has provided support to people affected by California wildfires.

Helps residents of Latin America and the Caribbean to improve and transform their communities.

As citizens of our local community as well as of the world, we support non-profit organizations located near our Newton, MA-based headquarters, as well as around New England. Our giving has focused on groups working to eliminate food insecurity as well as those committed to education and veterans, among others.

Connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry.

Part of Project Bread, The Walk for Hunger is the largest fundraiser to alleviate hunger in Massachusetts and raise the issue of hunger in our state. Odysseys Unlimited has fielded a Walk for Hunger team for the past ten years.

New England’s largest hunger-relief organization and among the largest food banks in the country, the GBFB strives to provide food for three meals a day to every person in need in Eastern MA.

With a goal of increasing educational opportunities for Maine students, Senator George Mitchell established the Mitchell Scholarship Program in 1995, followed in 1999 by the Mitchell Institute to provide career and personal support to scholarship recipients.

Founded by Mass General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox, HomeBase works to heal the invisible wounds of war for Veterans of all eras, Service Members, Military Families and Families of the Fallen, through world-class, direct clinical care, wellness, education, and research.

MAMH works to increase public awareness, eliminate stigma, and promote real change in access to services and improved life outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions by addressing related policy, budget, and legal issues.

This MA-based organization works to end the incarceration of women and girls by addressing the root causes of incarceration by shifting resources away from criminal punishment systems and into Black and Brown communities to fund housing, healthcare, education, economic development, and community-led organizations.

Provides food assistance to Watertown, MA, residents in need.

Provides residents of Newton, MA, and nearby communities with consistent and inclusive access to healthy food, with dignity and kindness.

Holiday Project
Since 2000, Odysseys has provided holiday gifts to children whose families are working with the Arlington office of the MA Department of Children and Families. More recently, we expanded to include a toy drive for children in need through Action for Boston Community Development, which helps low-income residents of Greater Boston transition from poverty.

Odysseys’ Employee Charitable Donation Program provides every employee with $250 on an annual basis. We encourage all employees to develop their own giving practices and donate to a qualified charity of their choice.

Employees have donated to a wide range of organizations, including Alzheimer’s Association, International Rescue Committee, Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, Little Camp Sunshine, Planned Parenthood, Project Bread, Rosie’s Place, Somerville Cambridge Elder Services – Meals on Wheels, Special Olympics, World Central Kitchen, and WGBH.

In addition, Odysseys’ Charitable Giving Committee provides funds to the company’s DEI Committee to donate to organizations that encourage and support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Read about the DEI Committee’s choices here.

We believe in giving back to those countries that have given us so much through our travels, so we make our most significant donations to international humanitarian organizations (NGOs) whose work spans the globe. The following NGOs represent those we have supported over the years.

(Médecins sans Frontiers)

Provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.

Helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.

Protecting over 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem of East Africa, Big Life partners with local communities to protect nature for the benefit of all.

The Water Project works with local teams to provide reliable and clean water to villages, schools, and medical clinics in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone.  Projects include new and rehabbed wells, sand dams, rainwater catchment systems and/or spring protections.

Organizing the travel and tourism industry to create positive change through disaster relief efforts, planning for the industry’s future, and creating valuable networking opportunities, TourismCares brings travel together.

A local organization based in Marrakech, Morocco, that works to raise awareness and find sustainable solutions to the most critical issues that directly affect life in Atlas Mountains villages.

Created by our late tour director Antonio Marangabassa and his wife Eunice, Makhanga Hope Academy educates girls in a remote area of Kenya who otherwise would not have access to schooling. Odysseys funded the construction of a dormitory and dining facility for the school.

Works to conserve nature by mitigating human/wildlife conflict in the Ranthambore (India) Tiger Preserve by training local villagers in traditional handcraft skills and creating “a small efficient army of micro-entrepreneurs.”

Helps to bring clean and safe water to the 771 million people around the world who lack basic access.

We donate to international, regional, and local organizations and communities affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and other natural or manmade disasters. Following are among the groups whose disaster relief efforts we have supported in recent years:

Provides disaster preparedness, medical aid, disaster relief, and recovery.

Delivers medical care to millions of people caught in crises around the world.

This veteran-led humanitarian organization serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Works through member organizations and special programs to provide nutritious food to feed people who are hungry as a result of systemic poverty, personal crisis, or disaster.

Distributes food and other essentials to those in need through a network of more than 1,600 community partners.

Supports Ukranians of all faiths both in Krakow and inside Ukraine with food, lodging, and other needs caused by the Russian war.

Engages in the rescues and rehabilitation of native Australian wildlife on a regular basis and in the wake of bushfires and other disasters.

Provides legal and social services to immigrants to the U.S., as well as works to ensure the safety of unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in other countries.

Dedicated to the conservation and promotion of French cultural heritage, the Foundation has helped to raise funds for the rebuilding of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was heavily damaged by fire in 2019.

With a mission to strengthen Los Angeles communities, the foundation has provided support to people affected by California wildfires.

Helps residents of Latin America and the Caribbean to improve and transform their communities.

As citizens of our local community as well as of the world, we support non-profit organizations located near our Newton, MA-based headquarters, as well as around New England. Our giving has focused on groups working to eliminate food insecurity as well as those committed to education and veterans, among others.

Connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry.

Part of Project Bread, The Walk for Hunger is the largest fundraiser to alleviate hunger in Massachusetts and raise the issue of hunger in our state. Odysseys Unlimited has fielded a Walk for Hunger team for the past ten years.

New England’s largest hunger-relief organization and among the largest food banks in the country, the GBFB strives to provide food for three meals a day to every person in need in Eastern MA.

With a goal of increasing educational opportunities for Maine students, Senator George Mitchell established the Mitchell Scholarship Program in 1995, followed in 1999 by the Mitchell Institute to provide career and personal support to scholarship recipients.

Founded by Mass General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox, HomeBase works to heal the invisible wounds of war for Veterans of all eras, Service Members, Military Families and Families of the Fallen, through world-class, direct clinical care, wellness, education, and research.

MAMH works to increase public awareness, eliminate stigma, and promote real change in access to services and improved life outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions by addressing related policy, budget, and legal issues.

This MA-based organization works to end the incarceration of women and girls by addressing the root causes of incarceration by shifting resources away from criminal punishment systems and into Black and Brown communities to fund housing, healthcare, education, economic development, and community-led organizations.

Provides food assistance to Watertown, MA, residents in need.

Provides residents of Newton, MA, and nearby communities with consistent and inclusive access to healthy food, with dignity and kindness.

Holiday Project
Since 2000, Odysseys has provided holiday gifts to children whose families are working with the Arlington office of the MA Department of Children and Families. More recently, we expanded to include a toy drive for children in need through Action for Boston Community Development, which helps low-income residents of Greater Boston transition from poverty.

Odysseys’ Employee Charitable Donation Program provides every employee with $250 on an annual basis. We encourage all employees to develop their own giving practices and donate to a qualified charity of their choice.

Employees have donated to a wide range of organizations, including Alzheimer’s Association, International Rescue Committee, Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, Little Camp Sunshine, Planned Parenthood, Project Bread, Rosie’s Place, Somerville Cambridge Elder Services – Meals on Wheels, Special Olympics, World Central Kitchen, and WGBH.

In addition, Odysseys’ Charitable Giving Committee provides funds to the company’s DEI Committee to donate to organizations that encourage and support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Read about the DEI Committee’s choices here.

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