b'Lets Travel Again clients, who used to book online. This (continued from page 21) could be because people would like sta workedtirelesslytoensurean agent to advocate for them if any that their clients were not stranded in- future travel diculties occur. Some de nitely. They stayed on hold on theglobetrottershavealwayspreferred phone for up to 10 hours, perseveringto deal locally, because Marlin Travel to arrange passage home. There wereiswellregardedforgenerously multiple daily contacts with clients togivingbacktothecommunityby make travel arrangements. sponsoring kids baseball teams, and It was dicult because the rulesdonating to important causes such as kept changing, Virginia pointed out. Big Brothers Big Sisters.Some clients were unable to leaveWhile the future looks promising fortheirholidays,andothershadfor Marlin Travel Port Perry, unfor-their trips cut short. tunately, several other businesses in Manycancellations,creditsandthetravelindustrydidnotsurvive refunds had to be arranged. the negative economic impact of the Thewholesalersandairlinespandemic, Virginia reported.Its been a long 15 months. Virginia is were doing their best, Virginia feels.ready to get going. Virginiaandherteamremain But with skeletal sta , stay at homepositive.Sheinvitespeopletovisitorders, and ongoing travel restrictiontravel is completed, Virginia informed.theirinformative,funandinterac-changes, it was challenging.With stay-at-home orders in place, thetive Facebook pageTryingtogetpeoplebackhometravel industry came to a standstill.ortheirwebsiteat tookalotoftimeandpatience,There was no revenue, Virginiawww.marlintravel.caVirginia said.said. With no cashow, it was neces- forgreattripideas Shegivescredittoherdevotedsary to be very frugal. and deals.sta , that were working from home. Gracious landlords, wage subsi- Time to dust oWe were playing the travel ver- dies and rent relief all helped. those suitcases!sion of Jumanji, Virginia commented. It is interesting to note that Marlin Travel agents do not get paid untilTravel Port Perry now has many newBy Lynn Campbell, Focus on ScugogPort Perry McDonalds presented the Port Perry Hospital Foundation with a cheque for $10,000 through the generosity and enthusiasm of McDonalds customers, loyal staff, and owners Sandy and Ginger Jackson. Thank you to everyone who participated. Michele, Emma, Rachel, Ginger & Mark Fletcher(past president of the Hospital Board)22FOCUS - JULY 2021'