On the occasion of its 40th year in business, Aquila Tours of Saint John came up with a unique way to give back. 
Keen to celebrate its milestone in a community-minded way, the long-time supporter of United Way came up with a series of ways of help – all revolving around 40. It’s “4 for 40” impact initiatives involved:
Aquila Tours is part of the Million Dollar Pledge, a group of socially conscious businesses that have committed to give $10,000 a year for 10 years to the United Way to invest in programs for youth and literacy. With 10 or more businesses, that’s $1 million or more committed to building brighter futures.
The pandemic was tough on the company as the cruise business was shuttered. While business is resuming again, the commitment to the community was steadfast.
“We knew giving back was important to our whole team and we were not sure how much we could contribute monetarily,” says Beth Kelly Hatt, founder of Aquila Tours.
“So bags of food, volunteer hours and small donations seemed like it could work,” she says. “In the end, Aquila had a good year, so we were able to make a bigger impact through 4 for 40 by matching the donations.”
By the end of the $40 donation campaign, it had raised nearly $3,500 for United Way.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Beth and team!