CRUISE GPS
Community First
Community First
AmaWaterways creates opportunities across Colombia through Make a Miracle.
Since launching its first custom-built ship in 2006, AmaWaterways continues to set the tone in the cruise industry for responsible growth and community-minded travel. In addition to actively expanding its sustainability efforts, AmaWaterways aligns with local communities to ensure positive environmental and cultural impact. One prime example is its work with Make A Miracle, a nonprofit foundation that provides opportunities to under-resourced communities across South America through education, housing, and community programs.
Together, Make A Miracle and AmaWaterways offer such humanitarian and service-focused extensions that can be paired with AmaWaterways’ luxury river cruises on Colombia’s Magdalena River. These specially coordinated experiences combine a river voyage with meaningful volunteer opportunities, inviting guests to participate in community outreach programs, help with local housing builds and infrastructure projects, and provide direct support to under-resourced Colombian communities.
One lasting example of that commitment is the Elevate Community Center in Montería, Colombia. In 2025, AmaWaterways funded the Make A Miracle project through a booking incentive with Travel Elevates, which supports initiatives in popular travel destinations around the world.
“The Elevate Community Center is now a permanent hub dedicated to expanding access to education, technology, and wellness.”
The Elevate Community Center is now a permanent hub dedicated to expanding access to education, technology, and wellness. The center provides classrooms for tutoring, English classes, and mentoring, a computer lab for digital literacy and training, and multipurpose space for children’s and teens’ clubs, counseling sessions, and community events. Parents also benefit from workshops, exercise classes, and free counseling with a staff psychologist, helping to strengthen families and address emotional needs.
The result is a partnership that extends beyond the river itself, connecting travel with tangible community investment in opportunities that are so much more than a single AmaWaterways voyage.
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Jessika's enduring passion for travel began on Pine Island in South Florida, where the beauty of the Gulf of Mexico and later the majestic mountains of Wyoming instilled in her a love for exploring new horizons. Growing up near Yellowstone National Park fueled her adventurous spirit, embracing places others dream of visiting. Her journey commenced in 2001 with Cody Trolley Tours, sharing the charm of her hometown in Wyoming.
Her career took a transformative turn in 2010 with Holland America Line, where she thrived as a Librarian, Travel Guide, and Assistant Shore Excursion Manager, traveling across all seven continents, and visiting nearly seventy countries. Meeting her Dutch husband, Marcel, along the way, Jessika embraced life on land and at sea, driven by a shared passion for cultural immersion and exploration.
By 2024, Jessika embraced her role as a Travel Advisor, with a focus on world cruise travel. She revels in crafting seamless back-to-back itineraries for retirees and s ...