Christel DeHaan, founder of Christel House International, has died, age 77
It is with deep regret that we have learnt of the death of Christel DeHaan, founder and chair of the board of Christel House International. Christel died at home, surrounded by family. She leaves behind three children an older sister, along with numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces and nephews. After a highly successful career as the co-founder of RCI, Christel created Christel House International in 1998 with the goal of transforming the lives of impoverished children around the globe, breaking the cycle of poverty and building self-sufficient members of society. Thanks to Christel’s careful planning, the work of Christel House will continue...
Former RCI marketing director, Colin Collins, dies
We are very sad to announce that European timeshare veteran and former RCI marketing director, Colin Collins, died on 5 March. The popular industry stalwart passed away in Tenerife after a brief illness, aged 82. A former marketing director of the travel division of American Express, Colin was appointed marketing director of RCI Europe in 1985, forming a dynamic partnership with director Ron Haylock to launch and spearhead RCI’s European operations. Colin stayed with RCI until his retirement in 2000 and, among many achievements, was instrumental in the development of RCI Points, the industry’s first global points-based holiday exchange programme. He was a larger...
RCI supports children around the World as title sponsor of Christel House Open International Charity Golf Tournament
For the 13th year in a row, RCI®, a worldwide leader in vacation exchange, will be the title sponsor of the annual RCI Christel House Open International Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament will feature several locations across Europe and North America, which aims to raise awareness and funds for Christel House International® (CHI), a charity committed to bettering the lives of impoverished children around the world. “Supporting our communities is one of the core values that makes up our DNA as an organization,” said Olivier Chavy, president of RCI. “Year after year, the Christel House Open directly supports efforts to end the cycle...
Christel House International poised for new leadership
Twenty years ago, Christel DeHaan founded Christel House, a charity to transform the lives of impoverished children and lift them out of poverty. Today, DeHaan announced she will retire as CEO of Christel House International (CHI) at the end of the year but will remain in her role as board chair. She has named former Indianapolis mayor, Bart Peterson, as her successor, with the support and endorsement of the CHI board. “Bart is a proven leader with impeccable integrity and a passion for the Christel House mission,” says DeHaan. “As the first mayor in the country legislatively empowered to authorize charter...
New Online Auction Site in support of RCI Christel House Golf Open 2017
The countdown to the 15th RCI Christel House Golf Tournament for 2017 is well underway and Christel House Europe have launched a new action site in support of the 15th Open. Please help to drive out poverty by visiting the new Christel House Europe Auction site, https://christelhouse.org.uk/. This year, thanks to their most generous supporters and donors, Christel House Europe have many exciting items to view and buy in support of Christel House kids in India and South Africa, including some wonderful artwork from the students; a “pop music” themed artwork by David Litchfield, a professional illustrator whose debut children’s book...
RDO is Proud to Support the Amazing Work of Christel House
RDO and the timeshare industry as a whole is passionate about giving back to communities in need and supporting people both locally and around the world. While of course it is very important to provide an excellent service to our owners and guests, we also understand that there are many around the world who are not fortunate enough to be able to enjoy vacations. In fact, shockingly, even in this modern age there are still hundreds of millions of people who barely have enough to eat or drink, and millions of children who receive little or no education. This is a...
Remembering our friend Ron Haylock: The Music Room at Christel House
Ron Haylock was not just a legend in the shared ownership industry, he was a special friend to many of us who worked with him at RDO, RCI, ARDA and TATOC. His enthusiasm for life was undeniably contagious – a few of his favourite things included food, wine, nature, music and, last but never least, giving back. Now it is our turn to give back to a man of many passions, whose work with the Christel House charity in South Africa and encouragement to the students at the Cape Town School were so important. Ron’s love of music lives on...