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Congratulation, Mary Quiroga, on winning Gung Ho!

Mary Quiroga began working at the front desk at the Grande Villas over a year ago. She immediately became one of our family, and it was easy to see why. Not only is Mary a hard worker, but she has a positive energy about her. She doesn't let anything get to her and no job, big or small, will ever slow her down. She has become a favorite among guests and employees alike.

At the end of September, a handful of Grande Villas employees were selected to take a CPR and First Aid course designed to teach us how to save lives. As head of the safety committee, Mary Quiroga was one of these people. At the end of the course, we were all told that hopefully, none of us will ever have to use the skills we learned. Unfortunately this was not true. On December 6th, one of our guests passed out, had no pulse and stopped breathing outside of their building. While the 911 call was being placed, Mary, without hesitation, grabbed the AED machine and the knowledge she learned during the CPR course and did
everything she could to help the guest in need. What seemed like hours was in fact only five minutes before the paramedics and ambulance arrived. Mary was a pillar of strength and, I think it is safe to say, a hero that day.

P-P-Poker Night!

Every Monday night, Grande Villas invites you to join in our Charity Poker night! All of the money raised goes to the Bluegreen BEAR Team charity of the month. $5 buys you a seat at the table and a chance to win some great prizes!


Ask any associate for more details.

The Grande Villas sponsors Party Hearty! Zumbathon

February is traditionally the month of love, and this year there's more to celebrate than Valentines Day!

Zumba is teaming up for a great cause again! This time with the American Heart Association to benefit the fight against heart disease for women! Join us on Sunday, February 27th 2011 from 3-5pm for a Zumbathon like no other at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village and Go Red Por Tu Corazón! Tell your family and friends and come out to help bring awareness to this devastating disease and empower women to lead heart healthy lifestyles!

Purchase your tickets in the Activities Office of the Grande Villas Resort at World Golf Village. Tickets are ten dollars each and a minimum of 75% of the proceeds and will benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red Por Tu Corazón Movement.

Water will be provided FOR FREE at this event thanks to the good people at the sponsoring resorts: The Grande Villas and The Renaissance!

Come dressed to impress in your official Party Hearty Zumba gear that you can purchase here:

http://store.zumba.com/shop/tag/party-hearty

30% of the proceeds from clothing sales also go towards the cause!

MUSIC AND CRAZY DJ SKILLZ PROVIDED BY THE INCOMPARABLE DJ NOFAME!!!!

Open your hearts and Party Hearty with me for a great cause! As I always say, Zumba is LOVE!

check us out on Facebook!

Grande Villas Lends a Hand!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Emmy-award winning hit reality show on ABC Television, was in the North Florida area to surprise one lucky family with an extreme home makeover. Ark Remodeling and Construction and J.A. Long Design Builders joined together for the North Florida Extreme Makeover.


During the week of January 24th, 10 volunteers from the Grande Villas joined with the local community helped to build one deserving family a home that meets their wants and needs. To see all of the amazing photos from this week, visit http://www.northfloridaextrememakeover.com/ .

Thank you to all of the Grande Villas volunteers:

Lara Leonard, Tina Bartholomew, Renee Grann, Karen Morris, Jeff Paarlberg, Morgan Kennedy, Angela Gonzalez, Maggie Moore, Chelsea Wynn and Lyne Bickerstaff!

2nd Annual Santa Send-Off



Santa Clause



At 10am on December 24^th, Santa Clause entered the main lobby of the Grande Villas Resort to the sound of children chanting his name. He received applause as he took his seat and quickly a line of children formed around him. While he listened to gift requests and posed for pictures, guests of the resort enjoyed some delicious Christmas treats. Songs were sung and holiday stories were exchanged. What a wonderful way to start the holiday!







Christmas Treats!



The Annual Grande Villas Santa Send-Off

Join us in the main lobby December 24th at 10am as we wish Santa "bon voyage" for his trip around the world! We will an assortment of donuts and fresh fruit to snack while our guest of honor poses for pictures. Bring the whole family as this will be a morning to remember!

Two New Front Desk Team Members!

A perfect fit for the World Golf Village! Golf enthusiast, Dexter Derr, has joined the Front Desk team at The Grande Villas. Originally from Pennsylvania, Dex became a golf fan at an early age. His first job was as a maintenance worker for a local golf course. With a warm smile and friendly demeanor, Dex is a welcomed addition to our team!

We would also like to welcome Lyne Bickerstaff to the Front Desk! Lyne loves to travel, which makes working for Bluegreen ideal. Originally from Chicago, Lyne is still getting used to this Florida weather. In her spare time, you can find Lyne curled up with a good book. Welcome to our team, Lyne!

 

Let’s welcome Dex and Lyne to the Grande Villas family!

St. Augusitne's 17th Annual Nights of Lights

Millions of white lights create a magical holiday atmosphere in the Nation's oldest city during the 17th Annual Nights of Lights Celebration in St. Augustine, Florida. Tracing its origins to the Spanish tradition of displaying a lighted white candle during the Christmas holidays, the spectacular lighting reflects the city's 445-year history while creating a beautiful setting for special memories.

A dazzling array of special events and activities await visitors. Nighttime tours of ancient buildings and inns led by storytellers in period clothing, rollicking train and trolley tours through the narrow brick streets, art walks featuring more than 30 galleries serving free holiday refreshments on the First Friday in December and January, special Saturday night antique shopping events, a dazzling regatta, Florida ice skating, luminaries in the town plaza, holiday concerts, even a Christmas parade are among the special events to be added to the memory books of visitors and residents alike.

The Nights of Lights will sparkle in St. Augustine through January 31.

For more information, Click Here.

The Grande Villas get Basics First Aid and CPR training

Several of us were given a course in Basic First Aid and CRP training which I was hoping we would never have to use!  We first went over basic first aid which means the immediate care that you give someone with an illness or injury before trained help arrives and takes over.  That could be and EMS responder, nurse or doctor.  Your actions during these first minutes of an emergency can be critical.  What you do may help a victim recover more quickly.  The usual first aid you will give is for minor illnesses or injuries.  But you may have to do first aid for more serious problems, such as a heart attack or major bleeding.  By knowing what to do, you could make a big difference in someones life! 

We were all shown the steps to take to perform CPR on someone.  Everyone was given a dummy to practice on and yes we did name them! (I am not at liberty to share these names with anyone!) Each of us was given a chance to show off what we learned and how much we comprehended which was a lot of fun. 

All of our dummies survived and will go on to live the best life a dummy can have! We learned the importance of having an AED (automated external defibrillator) and how to use it in the event someone might be having a heart attack.  The class was fun and I think we all walked away with more knowledge of First Aid and CPR. 

I did mention that I hoped I would never have to use anything I learned but the very next day we had a guest collapse at the front desk and Karen Morris and I jumped into action.  Since we knew what to do and what questions to ask we were able to help our guest until the EMT’s arrived.  So a BIG thanks to our instructor Mark for giving me the knowledge of what to do! 

So if you’re at the Grande Villas at World Golf Village in St Augustine rest assure that our employees have your back!
 
~~Written By Mary Quiroga~~

New to the Front Desk....

Melissa Jiminez brings her bright smile and perky personality to the Grande Villas as our newest Front Desk Associate. Melissa, who is originally from New Jersey, is currently studying international studies at the University of North Florida. When not at work, you can find her spending time at the beach, but don’t let her love of the sun fool you. She still holds onto her northern roots by cheering for the New York Giants and, of course, the Yankees!

Grande Villas has also taken in an “exchange” associate! Diane Brooks has come to join our team during the renovations of Casa Del Mar in Ormond Beach. Diane has worked in the hospitality industry for years working at resorts, cruise ships, restaurants and even as a stewardess! Originally from New Zealand, Diane likes to stay in shape by walking and working out and has a talent for needlepoint.

Let’s welcome these two to the Grande Villas Family!

Showing off our GREEN side!

The Colorful Ways to Play theme for the month of September was "Going Green" and boy were we excited! There was just one problem, we were already green, and so we couldn't "go" anywhere! Instead, we decided to show it off. All of the employees wore pins with messages about what we do to stay green everyday and ways to help. By sharing facts like "We recycle paper, glass, plastic and cardboard and have recycling bins in each building" as well as "We reduce waste and water usage by having a linen reuse program" we are not only informing everyone of what we do, we are also giving them the knowledge of how!

Over Labor Day Weekend, we had a "Save the Swamps" party where guests had the chance to participate in fun and eco-friendly games as well as dance and let loose!

Code Adam @ Grande Villas

Code Adam is a "missing child" safety program in the United States and Canada, originally created by Wal-Mart retail stores in 1994. It is named in memory of Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of John Walsh (the host of Fox's America's Most Wanted.). Adam was abducted from a Sears department store in Florida in 1981 and was later found murdered. Today, many department stores, retail shops, shopping malls, supermarkets, amusement parks, and museums participate in the Code Adam program. Legislation enacted by Congress in 2003 now mandates that all federal office buildings employ the program.

Companies that do implement the program generally place a Code Adam decal at the front of the business. Employees at these businesses are trained to do the following six steps according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

• If a visitor reports a child is missing, a detailed description of the child and what he or she is wearing is obtained. Additionally, all exterior access to the building is locked and monitored; anyone approaching a door is turned away.

• The employee goes to the nearest in-house telephone and pages Code Adam, describing the child’s physical features and clothing. As designated employees monitor front entrances, other employees begin looking for the child.

• If the child is not found within 10 minutes, law enforcement is called.

• If the child is found and appears to have been lost and unharmed, the child is reunited with the searching family member.

• If the child is found accompanied by someone other than a parent or legal guardian, reasonable efforts to delay their departure will be used without putting the child, staff, or visitors at risk. Law enforcement will be notified and given details about the person accompanying the child.

The Code Adam page will be canceled after the child is found or law enforcement arrives.

We had a Code Adam here at Grande Villas on Saturday, September 25th. The guest was leaving, so there door was left ajar on the 1st floor. Their one year old got out crawled down the hall and up three flights of stairs. The parents were frantic and came to the front desk where Denise Abreu, a Front Desk Supervisor, made the call over the radio. Within seconds the entire building was surrounded by grounds, engineers, and public area employees, and within five minutes Taiwan Bryant, Public Area Supervisor, found the little boy. We are all very proud of the quick response, and of course that everything worked out well.

Association Owned Weeks for Sale

The Board of Directors recently held a special meeting in which they decided to sell the current Association owned inventory at highly discounted prices. This offer is being made to reduce the cost burden on the Association (all owners) and increase maintenance fee revenues; therefore, it is currently only extended to our owners in good standing, your friends and/or family. If you refer anyone to purchase, they must provide your name when calling.

The current weeks available are listed below, and subject to floating use (“first come, first served”) during the “High” or “Prime” seasons. In accordance with your governing documents, “Prime” weeks are defined as and include the use of weeks 5-36, 40-47 and 51-52; whereas “High” weeks are defined as and include the use of weeks 1-47, 37-39 and 48-50. In addition, the current weeks available have usage rights in either “annual” (every year) or “biennial” (every other year in either odd of even years), and pricing was determined accordingly. Please consider these factors when determining which will best accommodate your vacation needs. Occupancy of these unit/weeks will not be available until 2011 after the maintenance fee is paid. We have included the proposed maintenance fees for 2011 in the block below (not due until January 1, 2011). The time to process the full transaction will take between 8 to 16 weeks to finalize. 

.  The current weeks available are as follows:

The Board has appointed Julie Clawson, Association Administrator, as the contact person to initiate the process. You can call Julie at 386-586-0887. Please note, Julie often travels for business, so if you don’t get a return call immediately, be patient, as she will return your call in the order in which received.

New Wristbands

Grande Villas is unveiling a new line of wristbands on Friday, September 3rd! These wristbands make a great fashion statement either while lounging by the pool or enjoying a game of sand volleyball. To get yours, stop by the front desk. If you wish to purchase these wristbands and show your Grande Villas pride, it is only $5 for 4 bands! All monies collected will be donated to the Bluegreen Charity of the month, so not only can you look good, you can do good.

Building 2 Update

Starting August 16th, Building 2 will be shut down for some routine maintenance. During this time, all of the walkways in this building will be having a special non-slip finish put on them, general repairs and updates will be done and all of the rooms will be deep cleaned. The building should be up and running again by the end of the month. Special thanks to Chief Engineer Ken Shumate and his entire engineering team for all of their hard work!

Zumba!

Looking for a fun way to work out? Join Jihan and the Grande Villas crew Thursday’s at 7pm during the month of August for a Zumba workout! Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!

Below are pictures from out first Zumba Thursday. Everyone had a great time and burned plenty of calories! We look forward to seeing you next time!

Quarterly Growth Awards

On July 28th, Grande Villas celebrated our quarterly GROWTH awards ceremony. The GROWTH awards are to recognize employees for their outstanding performance. A committee made up of managers chooses one employee from each department based on their work ethics and documented involvement with the guests as quarterly winners. Each winner is then nominated for a company GUNG-HO award. This quarter’s winners were Gerald McKenna from Marketing, Taiwan Bryant from Public Areas, Issai Mladenov from Engineering, Glenda Maldonado from Housekeeping and Brett Williams from Front Desk. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Growth Awards Committee

New In-House Marketing Manager

Congratulations are in order for our new In-house Marketing Manager, Gerald McKenna! This sales and marketing all-star started back in October of 2004 as a sales associate. He quickly became the Call Center Manager in June 2005 before making his way to an In-house marketer in January 2009. Jerry has long been a favorite among co-workers and guests alike and I think we are all happy and proud to see him get this well deserved promotion.

Congrats Jerry!

The Golf Guy Visits Grande Villas

A recent visit to the Grande Villas made headlines! The Golf Channel encourages its members to write about their golf travel experiences and a man who goes by the name of "The Golf Guy" did just that. Along with staying at our resort, he visited some of the local area golf attractions including the Slammer and Squire and the King and Bear golf courses. Read it for yourself by clicking the link below.

A Call to the Hall