Press & Media
Home | About Us | Press & Media
Press & Media
Alan Lewis

Alan and Harriet Lewis have been widely recognized for their entrepreneurial approach to teaching other business leaders how to integrate philanthropy into the core business model.

Grand Circle Gallery Opens to the Public

Free gallery of vintage travel posters and photography is the latest addition to culturally thriving Fort Point neighborhood

On July 23, Alan and Harriet will open a free gallery at company headquarters, featuring vintage travel posters and other travel-related artwork and photography. "We welcome our fellow Bostonians and visitors to view our collection," say Alan and Harriet. "We have really enjoyed working in the Fort Point Channel District for the past 25 years and seeing it evolve into a thriving cultural destination, so we're particularly pleased to be able to offer another reason to visit the neighborhood."

Teeing Off in the Fight Against NF

$100k grant honors longtime supporters of neurofibromatosis research—including Alan & Harriet Lewis

While the NF Golf Tournament is a special event for Alan and Harriet every year, this year was especially important—and not just because it marked the 25th anniversary of both the tournament itself and the Lewis' sponsorship of it. Karen Peluso and NF Inc., Northeast commemorated the milestone with a $100,000 "Champion Grant" to Harvard Medical School in honor of several longtime supporters: Alan and Harriet; former Boston Celtics stars K.C. Jones and Tommy Heinsohn; and former Red Sox star Dwight Evans and his wife, Susan.

Vacationing with charity-minded tour operators

Companies like Grand Circle tie philanthropy into their travel business.

Press Release May 9, 2010

(Los Angeles Times)—You don't need to sign up for a U.N. mission, deliver medical aid to a developing country or renounce your possessions to improve the planet. By enjoying a vacation with a charity-minded tour operator, you're already helping humanity. Many such companies give back to the far-flung destinations their leisure clients visit.

Grand Circle Foundation and Travelers Donate $500,000 To Red Cross Relief Efforts In Haiti

 

Travelers Donate $350,000 Following Grand Circle Foundation's Pledge to Match

Press Release January 18, 2010

January 18, 2010 (Boston, MA)—Alan Lewis, Chairman of Grand Circle Corporation, which owns Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel, today reported that $500,000 has been raised by Grand Circle Foundation and travelers to support Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. Alan and his wife Harriet, Grand Circle's co-chair and chair of the Foundation, presented the $500,000 check today to Deborah C. Jackson, CEO of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay.

From all walks of life, donations pour in

Boston Globe, January 15, 2010

They followed news accounts of the devastation in Haiti, horrified. And then they gave to a country that only a few had ever visited, and many knew little about. From $5 sent via cellphone text messages to $1 million from the founder of a Boston construction company, money and other assistance from the region poured in yesterday.

GCF and Travelers Donate $400k to Haiti

Travelers Donate $250,000 Following Grand Circle Foundation's Pledge to Match

Press Release January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010 (Boston, MA)—Alan Lewis, Chairman of Grand Circle Corporation, which owns Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel, today reported that $400,000 has been raised by Grand Circle Foundation and travelers to support International Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

Adding Value to Nonprofits

Boston Business Journal November 13, 2009

by Leonard A. Schlesinger and Alan Lewis

Now, more than ever, our communities depend on social enterprises to provide services for those in need and to tackle a host of difficult issues. These nonprofit groups often depend on volunteer board members who are not always sure of how they are adding value.
Business leaders who serve on boards often ask themselves how they — and the organizations they support with their time, treasure and talent — can do more. This problem was recently debated at a meeting of local CEOs convened by the Boston Business Journal. Some of the conclusions are easy to act on, some much more complicated:

Social Entrepreneurs Will Lead the Way

Boston Business Journal
September 11, 2009

by Alan and Harriet Lewis

There are two quotes that resonate with us during these challenging times. They come from two men who couldn't be more different. The first is from renowned physicist Albert Einstein, who stated, "In the middle of difficulty there is always opportunity."

The second is from Alan's dad, a WWII veteran and lifelong fighter for the underdog who became an "unconventional" businessman. It was he who advised Alan that "the window of opportunity is only open a short time, so you need to push as much change through it as fast as you can. And don't blow it."

Philanthropy Works

Travel Weekly
by Alan E. Lewis, Chairman, Grand Circle Corporation

I applaud Travel Weekly for its recent coverage of philanthropy in the travel industry. With the exception of this publication and a couple of consumer travel magazines, there's been very little coverage about our industry's efforts— and obligation— to give back to the countries we explore. This is unfortunate because many in our industry, such as Micato Safaris, Lindblad Expeditions, International Expedition, and others, have "given back," whether through charitable organizations or conservation efforts.

Get to Give

Philanthropy World
Volume 9, Issue 3

Bostonians Harriet and Alan Lewis inspire philanthropy on a global scale through travel

Harriet and Alan Lewis are an extraordinary example of a couple with a vision for business and philanthropy fused with a passion for learning. He's an entrepreneur; she's a teacher— and their life together is a quest to create a new path. Their company, Grand Circle Corporation, is the number one company in the United States providing international travel, adventure, and discovery for Americans over 50. The company's nonprofit branch, Grand Circle Foundation, gives back to the world their travelers explore by supporting community service projects where their forty worldwide offices are located— be it right around the corner from their Boston headquarters, or in the hill tribes of Thailand, north of their Chiang Mai office.

Entrepreneurs Need Mentoring in Philanthropy

Boston Business Journal
Volume 20, Number 43

A recent report by the Catalogue of Philanthropy puts Massachusetts' taxpayers at the very bottom in terms of individual giving.

While our corporations do better— ranking 14th nationally, according to the Foundation Center in Washington, D.C. — critics have pointed out that in a state with the third highest per-capita income, individuals and businesses alike are falling far short of what they should be doing.

Much of the criticism targets entrepreneurial companies and so-called "dot-com millionaires." In my opinion, philanthropy should be part of the entrepreneur's vision from the beginning, but the commitment needs to grow as the company does.