September 2011 ACCESS Advantage
- OPERATION GIVE: ACCESS Pays It Forward with School Supply Drive!
- Science Under Sail!
- Newport Harbor Celebrity Homes Tour!
Contact the team at ACCESS Destination Services for all of your destination management requirements throughout North America.
OPERATION GIVE:
ACCESS Pays It Forward with School Supply Drive!
For the second year in a row, the ACCESS team, along with hospitality industry partners, kicked off the Back-to-School season with a "Pay It Forward" School Supply Drive.
As the nation's economy continues to struggle, funding for the basic necessities of education is often one of the first to be hit. Families tightening their own belts at home now find themselves with an even longer list of school-mandated Back-to-School supplies. Experts estimate that the per-child cost of these classroom supplies can be as much as $200, an increase of up to 25% over last year in some states.
Through Operation GIVE, ACCESS Destination Services' ongoing corporate social responsibility initiative, our team purchased, assembled and distributed over 125 "Pay It Forward" Back-to-School kits for students in need. The kits contained paper, pencils, erasers, rulers and assorted classroom supplies. Our industry partners then distributed the packages to families in their work or home environment who most needed the extra assistance.
ACCESS Operation GIVE provided yet another opportunity for industry partners to give back to the local community. Last month, the ACCESS team's "Strikes for Tykes" industry CSR teambuilding event resulted in ACCESS providing an additional 65 school supply kits to students at the Polinsky Children's Center.
ACCESS CEO, Chris Lee, DMCP states, "While our team regularly designs and produces CSR programming elements for our clients that add meaning into meetings©, giving back to the communities we serve has always been an important part of our company culture. Those programs that benefit children hold a special place in my heart and within the overall company values of ACCESS Destination Services."
For more information on CSR programming and Operation GIVE initiatives, please check out our blog, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Please contact ACCESS Destination Services today to learn how you can add meaning into meetings© during your next conference, meeting or incentive travel program.
Science under Sail! With the 2013 America's Cup on the horizon, nautical excursions are becoming increasingly popular as conference and incentive group activities. ACCESS San Francisco offers up an extraordinary aquatic adventure where your guests become marine scientists for a day! In this exclusive program with Monterey Bay Aquarium, guests will experience the wonders of Monterey Bay first-hand while working alongside aquarium naturalists aboard a 65-foot sailboat designed for ocean research.
As the boat heads out of the harbor, guests learn about the history of Monterey Bay and how this resource-rich environment has been utilized and studied over the years. During the three-hour expedition, guests will gather plankton, test water samples and observe the fascinating bottom-dwelling creatures found in Monterey Bay Aquarium's sampling equipment. All participants can take a turn at the helm steering the boat and will have the chance to learn about navigation 
and sailing.
This unique adventure takes place on the waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of the largest and richest marine protected areas in the United States. Guests will enjoy a rare and enchanting view of the Monterey Peninsula shoreline and the waters of the bay. Afterwards, guests will enjoy lunch at one of the popular local restaurants on Monterey's historic Fisherman's Wharf where they can discuss what they've learned about California's marine wildlife!
Sail away with ACCESS San Francisco and discover all that's new and exciting on the sparkling waters as well as the latest in creative event design and entertainment back on shore. Contact us today!
Newport Harbor Celebrity Homes Tour! Not every celebrity chooses to live in Los Angeles. The sunny Newport Beach climate is so perfect that it draws many stars southward to lush residences along the coast of the California Riviera in Orange County, also known as "The O.C." Newport Harbor has been called home by some of Hollywood's most notable movie stars and sports celebs including Nicolas Cage, Chuck Norris, Kobe Bryant and John Wayne, to name a few. Allow the team at ACCESS Orange County to share the local lore surrounding some of the area's most famous residents and frequent visitors on one of our favorite boating excursions.
This exciting adventure treats your guests to a relaxing cruise on Newport Bay in sleek electric gondola-style boats. In these quiet, easy-to-drive boats, complete with full canopy top, window enclosures, and CD players with iPod hookups, guests have the 
opportunity to see some of the homes of Hollywood's most popular stars, past and present! Cruising along, guests will enjoy picturesque vistas of quaint Balboa, lovely Linda and regal Lido Islands from a truly unique perspective. Who knows, they just might spot a few stars cruising by aboard their yachts. If not, the area's waterfront real estate, world famous Balboa Pavilion, million dollar watercraft and scores of playful sea lions are truly sights to behold and serve as wonderful subjects for photo remembrances of a picture perfect day.
Talk to the team at ACCESS Orange County about how to incorporate this activity and other creative special events into your next program targeted for the Orange County area.
Cookin' with ACCESS
Martha's Apple Pie
If you don't already have a special autumn apple pie recipe, this adaptation of Martha Stewart's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie is filled with Granny Smith apples and tucked into a buttery crust - sure to become a family favorite for years to come.
Serves 10 - 12
Ingredients / Pie Pastry:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water (essential that the water is cold)
Ingredients / Filling:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and use a pastry blender to blend until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add ice water slowly, while gently stirring with a spatula just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Be careful not to over-work the dough. To test, squeeze a small amount together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into two 1/8-inch thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate.
In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Trim edges of crust to make neat circle, with top slightly larger than bottom. Seal by gently folding top layer around the edge of the bottom shell and pinching edges with fingers and thumb to make a pretty fluted edge. Cut several steam vents across top. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and sugar.
Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.
Enjoy!