Rachel Kram, a 10-year veteran of Carnival’s group sales department, has been named the company’s Volunteer of the Year for her outstanding efforts at helping those less fortunate in the South Florida community.Kram was recognized for donating her time and talent to a variety of local charitable organizations, most notably, Fort Lauderdale-based Kids in Distress, an assistance center for abused and neglected children, where she served as group leader for several projects throughout the year.

The award was presented at Carnival’s annual volunteer reception which acknowledges the community service efforts of the company’s employees who collectively donated nearly 4,000 volunteer hours on 100 different service projects throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County, Fla.

Kram (center) is pictured here at the reception with Carnival’s President and CEO Gerry Cahill (left) and Vice President Guest Services Vicky Rey, her department head.   In conjunction with the award, Carnival donated $1,000 in Kram’s name to the charity of her choice.

Carnival’s community service initiatives are coordinated through its “Friends Uniting Neighbors (F.U.N.) Team,” an employee-directed volunteer group that was formed in 1997 and works with a wide range of local charitable and social service agencies and organizations.