Continuing their ongoing philanthropic program. Carnival Cruise Line and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, are giving a total of $250,000 to charitable organizations to support their efforts on behalf of victims of the Louisiana floods. The cruise line is donating $125,000 and its parent company is matching that amount through its Carnival Foundation charitable arm.

Recipients include the American Red Cross, Louisiana Association of United Ways and Save the Children. In addition, guests sailing on Carnival cruises from New Orleans can donate when they check in for their cruise.

“Having homeported Carnival ships in Louisiana for more than two decades, we very much consider ourselves a part of the community and, therefore, it is extremely important to us to provide aid to support the tens of thousands of Louisiana residents who have been affected by these devastating floods,” -Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

The American Red Cross is sheltering thousands of residents displaced by the flooding in southern Louisiana and delivering food, relief supplies and emotional support to flood victims. Donations to the Louisiana Association of United Ways will be dispersed among regional United Way organizations in communities affected by the floods to support long-term needs.

Save the Children has deployed an emergency response team to Louisiana and is focused on meeting the critical needs of flood affected children and families and moving forward will be working to restore services essential to children’s well-being.

A Global View: Carnival Corporation Flood Relief

If this effort has a familiar ring, it should.  Carnival Corporation’s ongoing efforts have helped those in need around the world over the years.  As the largest cruise company in the world, with multiple brands operating 102 ships with over 200,000 lower berths, that’s appropriate.

Those who have sailed before, on Carnival brands or other lines as well, know that many crew members are sourced from the Philippines.  Realizing that so many crew members, on ships right now, have family and friends back in the Philippines, the non-profit Carnival Foundation will teamed up with the Miami HEAT in making a pledge to to support relief efforts in communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Carnival Cruise Line partnered with Operation Homefront, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial and other assistance to military families presenting a check for $100,000 to the organization.  If that relationship sounds a bit familiar, it is too.  Sister Carnival Corporation brand Princess Cruises got involved on their first Cruising For A Cause, also making a solid donation to Operation Homefront.

Topping the list in our Cruise Lines Give Back series, Carnival Corporation brands have donated over $26,000.,00o since we began keeping track in 2008.  Some highlights include:

• A $25,000 donation from Carnival Cruise Lines to the Honey Shine mentoring program for young girls during the launch of Carnival Breeze.
• A $300,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters the result of sponsorship proceeds from a book entitled An Ocean of Innovation, A Passion for Giving Back that commemorates the 25 years since Carnival Corporation’s initial public offering and highlights the community service initiatives of the company’s 10 global brands.
• A $3,000,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through its Care to Play program, which enables guests to participate in on-board fundraising activities in the fight to find a cure for cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
• Over $1 million for The Prince’s Trust via Carnival Corporation brand Cunard Line. Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1976, the Trust works to turn around the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK and will help over 55,000 people this year.

As New Orleans’ largest cruise operator, Carnival Cruise Lines has a long-standing relationship with city. In 2011, the line brought its capacity back to pre-Katrina levels with two year-round ships from the port. That commitment continues today, as we see with this most recent donation.

Good stuff there.