Destination Motivation, our #1-ranked Preferred Partner in the nation, is now extending its travel-centered model of emotional value into a philanthropic mission called Destination Hope, a program created to provide joy-filled vacations for foster families who show up with love every day and rarely get the chance to get away.
Created as the philanthropic giving arm of Destination Motivation, Destination Hope is launching through a partnership with Ticket to Dream Foundation, a nonprofit that supports children and youth in foster care nationwide. The mission is simple and deeply human: help foster families reconnect, recharge, and experience a real vacation that many could never afford on their own. One family at a time. One unforgettable trip at a time.
For us at Power100, this is more than a charitable initiative. It is another reason Destination Motivation continues to stand apart in the home improvement and home services ecosystem. The company has built its reputation by helping contractors use travel incentives to increase close rates, reduce cancellations, generate referrals, and improve customer delight. With Destination Hope, that same belief in the emotional power of travel is now being directed toward families who have already given so much of themselves to children in foster care.
For years, Destination Motivation has built its brand around the idea that travel is more than a perk. It is a memory maker, a relationship builder, and a way to create emotional value without destroying margins. That idea has helped the company become a trusted partner to more than 1,000 contractors across North America, backed by thousands of 5-star reviews and national recognition from Power100.
Now that same philosophy is being directed toward foster families. These are families who open their homes, hearts, and lives to children who need them most while navigating court dates, trauma, sleepless nights, and systems that were never designed to make things easy. For many of them, a real vacation feels impossibly out of reach because the logistics are hard, the cost is real, and by the time daily care needs are met, there is often little left for rest, joy, or exploration.
That is exactly why Destination Hope exists. The program is designed to fund real vacations for deserving foster families through a nomination and selection process supported by Ticket to Dream Foundation, so these families can have time away that is joyful, restorative, and memorable. This is not a symbolic gesture or a quick weekend break. It is a meaningful family trip that sends a clear message: You matter. You are worth celebrating.
Annual Leadership Offsite in LA for Destination Motivation and the launch of Destination Hope
As Power100, we have had the chance to hear directly from the leaders helping bring Destination Hope to life. According to Brett Thornton, President of Destination Motivation, this initiative came from a deeper conversation about what the company wanted to become as it scaled. He explained that he and Caleb Nelson, CEO of Destination Motivation, believed it could not just be about growing a business and making profit; they wanted growth to create the ability to give back and make a difference.
As Brett Thornton told us, “We always feel like our product makes a difference for our clients and for the consumers already. We’re providing this really cool experience and that’s awesome. We love that. But at the end of the day, we both kind of felt when we looked at it like it’s not enough. We want to do more.” That quote explains why Destination Hope feels so aligned with the company’s identity. From our perspective at Power100, this is not a random cause added for branding. It is a direct extension of what Destination Motivation already believes about experience, emotion, and human impact.
Brett Thornton also described how the idea took shape. He said the company wanted a giving arm that employees, leadership, and clients could all rally behind, while staying true to something near and dear to the company’s mission: vacations. His past connections to foster care organizations helped clarify the fit. He noted that foster children and foster families face heartbreaking situations through no fault of their own, and that while many needs are urgent and practical, a vacation is the kind of meaningful experience they would rarely, if ever, receive without outside support.
One of the strongest lines from our conversation with Brett Thornton was this: “Yes, it starts with one family and then two families, and we want to get to a point where every week we’re sending foster families on these incredible vacations. But you’ve got to start somewhere.” That gives Destination Hope both humility and vision. It begins with one family each quarter, but it is clearly designed to become something much bigger over time.
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, interview with Brett Thornton, President of Destination Motivation
Seth Washinowski, Enterprise Director of Training at Destination Motivation, put the reason behind Destination Hope in simple terms. He told us, “It’s about giving back. It’s about recognizing that we have been so fortunate as an organization and giving us the ability to really pay it forward.”
He also made a point that connects directly to what Destination Motivation does every day. The company is in the business of helping clients close more effectively with vacation-based value, so it makes deep sense to offer the same kind of life-giving experience to a foster family that might never be able to create that opportunity on their own. As Seth Washinowski said, “We’re in the closing business, right, with vacation. So what a better thing to be able to offer a foster family than a vacation.”
From our viewpoint at Power100, that matters because it shows Destination Hope is not separate from the company’s DNA. It is the same core belief applied to a new audience. Seth Washinowski also shared that he and his wife have eight children and that showing kindness, serving others, and teaching those values at home is deeply important to their family. That makes this initiative feel both organizational and personal.
Corey Cousins, VP of Sales & Training at Destination Motivation, described the initiative as an extension of one of the best parts of working at the company: the chance to influence lives across the nation. He told us that Destination Hope gives the company “another way to give back in such a unique way,” and added that with the opportunity to influence so many people, “it’d be almost reckless not to.”
That wording stands out to us because it captures the urgency behind the launch. This was not approached like a nice extra or a someday idea. It was treated like a responsibility that comes with growth, reach, and capability. Corey Cousins also shared a personal story from an earlier stage in his career, when the spouse of a sales representative thanked him for the extra effort he had invested in training and development because it had helped restore financial stability to their household during a very difficult season.
That moment changed how Corey Cousins thinks about impact. As he put it, “Knowing that my efforts and just doing a little extra, going above and beyond made such a massive difference for them and their family and all their kids, it’s like, oh man, that’s what I’m in it for, is to invest in others and see that return that way.” When he spoke about foster parents, the admiration was just as clear. He called foster parenting “such a beautiful thing to do” and said it is incredible that Destination Motivation now has the chance to give these families something meaningful and memory-making in return.
Jacob Berger, Director of Business Development at Destination Motivation, spoke with us about Destination Hope in terms of people, relationships, and empathy. He said he had always wanted to work for a company that made space for real charity work and that he is especially passionate about helping families who could truly use an opportunity like this.
His reasons are personal. Jacob Berger shared that he was raised by a single mother and that his family was less fortunate many times, which meant they did not have many opportunities to travel. That background makes this mission very real to him. As Jacob Berger told us, “Being able to bless other families with that opportunity, I mean, it’s amazing. I couldn’t imagine being in that position as a young boy and having somebody bless us with a vacation like that.”
For us at Power100, that quote adds an important emotional layer to the story. Destination Hope is not about generic generosity. It is about giving families an experience that can feel impossible when resources are stretched, responsibilities are heavy, and life has not been easy. It is about creating a pause in the pressure and replacing it, even if only for a few days, with joy, connection, and the feeling that somebody out there cared enough to say yes.
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, Interview with Jacob Berger, Director of Business Development at Destination Motivation
A meaningful vision matters, but execution and accountability matter too. That is why the partnership with Ticket to Dream Foundation is such an important part of this announcement. Ticket to Dream Foundation is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has supported more than 5 million foster youth nationwide. The organization focuses on creating hope and opportunity for children and youth in foster care through essentials, experiences, and life skills support.
Its national footprint also gives Destination Hope a strong foundation. Ticket to Dream Foundation works with 218 nonprofit partners across the United States to help connect foster youth with programs, resources, and support. That structure helps ensure that this initiative is not only emotionally compelling, but also operationally sound.
For donors and business co-sponsors, that matters. Donations connected to Destination Hope are processed through the secure giving platform of Ticket to Dream Foundation, which means contributions are tax-deductible and donors receive a receipt for their records. It also means qualified foster families can be nominated through trusted nonprofit relationships in the selected region, giving the program both heart and integrity.
Many efforts connected to foster care focus, rightly, on essentials. Those needs remain urgent. But Destination Hope focuses on something different and deeply powerful: an experience that gives foster families room to breathe, bond, explore, and simply be together. That matters because foster parents are not just logistical caregivers. They are emotional anchors for children carrying instability, trauma, and uncertainty.
Children in foster care do not only need services. They also deserve fun, safety, celebration, and memories that belong to them. That is one of the reasons this launch stands out to us. Destination Hope treats joy as something worthy of investment.
One of the deepest themes in our conversation with Brett Thornton was the idea that this initiative shows children there are people they may never meet who are still rooting for them. As he told us, “If you strip it all back, I think what this shows these kids is that there are other people out there that care about them. They may never see them. They may never know about them, but like my God, there’s other people out there rooting for me.” To us, that is the emotional center of Destination Hope. This is not just a trip. It is a message.
At Power100, this launch reinforces exactly why Destination Motivation has earned its place as the nation’s top-ranked Preferred Partner. The company is already known for helping contractors use travel to increase perceived value, protect margins, reduce cancellations, and create happier customers. But great partnerships are about more than performance claims. They are also about leadership quality, cultural depth, follow-through, and whether a company stands for something bigger than itself.
Destination Hope shows that Destination Motivation understands something many great contractors understand too: the strongest businesses create more than transactions. They create experiences, trust, loyalty, and community impact. By taking the same travel-centered expertise that has helped customers feel good about saying yes and directing it toward foster families, Destination Motivation is proving that its model is not only commercially effective, but humanly meaningful.
That is why we believe this announcement matters to the contractor community. A Preferred Partner should be a company contractors can be proud to align with, not just a vendor they use. Destination Hope strengthens that case.
Destination Hope offers two clear ways to get involved. The first is direct giving. Individuals can make one-time or recurring donations through the secure Ticket to Dream Foundation platform, with gifts helping fund a foster family’s dream vacation. Whether someone gives $25, $2,500, or contributes monthly, each donation helps create something real for a family that deserves time to rest and reconnect.
The second is business co-sponsorship. Destination Hope is building a model in which Destination Motivation clients and other purpose-driven businesses can help sponsor a foster family trip in their own region. That creates a powerful story for any business: this quarter, our company helped send a foster family from our community on the vacation of their lives. That kind of story builds loyalty, deepens trust, and sets a business apart in a way no price discount ever could.
Co-sponsorship can include recognition as the regional sponsor of that quarter’s family trip, shared storytelling assets for marketing use, recognition within the Destination Hope network, and visibility into who was helped and where they traveled. For contractors already working with Destination Motivation, that creates a natural bridge between business growth and community impact.
The program begins with one family per quarter, with plans to grow significantly over time, including through regional co-sponsorships with business partners. That measured beginning gives Destination Hope a practical foundation while preserving the bigger ambition Brett Thornton described to us: building toward a future where foster families are being sent on unforgettable vacations far more often.
What stands out to us is how focused and honest that vision is. Destination Hope is not pretending to solve the entire foster care system. Instead, it is doing something specific and beautiful: helping give one family a few days where the world feels generous, kind, and full of joy.
That simplicity is one of the program’s greatest strengths. People know what they are supporting. Businesses know how they can participate. And families know the opportunity is real.
Destination Hope is the philanthropic giving arm of Destination Motivation, created to provide joy-filled vacations for foster families through a partnership with Ticket to Dream Foundation. The purpose is to give deserving foster families a real, meaningful trip that helps them reconnect, recharge, and simply enjoy time together.
From our interviews with leadership, the answer is clear. Brett Thornton said he and Caleb Nelson wanted growth to mean more than profit and felt the company needed to do more than provide great experiences for clients and homeowners. Seth Washinowski also made it clear that the company sees this as a chance to pay forward the success it has been fortunate to experience.
Foster families give a great deal while caring for children who need safety, consistency, and love, yet a real vacation is often far out of reach because of cost, logistics, and exhaustion. Brett Thornton explained to us that a vacation was the perfect fit because it connects to the company’s expertise, resources, and relationships while creating a lifelong memory for families who would rarely receive that kind of opportunity otherwise.
Qualified foster families are nominated through local nonprofit relationships in the selected region, supported through the broader network connected to Ticket to Dream Foundation. From there, the recipient family for that quarter’s trip is selected through the program process established for Destination Hope.
Yes. Donations connected to Destination Hope are processed through Ticket to Dream Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with Tax ID 90-0355853, and donors receive a receipt for their records. That means the contributions qualify as charitable gifts.[mightycause]
The program begins with one family per quarter and is designed to grow significantly over time. Brett Thornton made clear in our interview that the long-term vision is much larger, with the hope of eventually reaching a point where foster families are being sent on memorable vacations far more frequently.
Yes. Businesses can participate through co-sponsorship, helping fund a family trip in a specific region and being recognized as the regional sponsor of that quarter’s family vacation. Co-sponsors can also receive shared storytelling assets, recognition within the network, and visibility into who they helped and where the family traveled.
Ticket to Dream Foundation brings both reach and credibility to this effort. The nonprofit has supported more than 5 million foster youth nationwide and works with 218 nonprofit partners across the country to connect children and youth in foster care with essentials, resources, and opportunities. That infrastructure helps make Destination Hope accountable, trustworthy, and scalable.
Because it shows what true partnership looks like. Destination Motivation was already known for helping contractors create better customer experiences, reduce cancellations, and increase close rates through travel-based value. With Destination Hope, the company is showing that the same belief in the power of memorable experiences can also be used to strengthen families, honor foster parents, and create good beyond the transaction. That is a major reason this initiative matters to us at Power100.
Destination Hope is the philanthropic giving arm of Destination Motivation, created to provide joy-filled vacations for deserving foster families through a partnership with Ticket to Dream Foundation. Beginning with one family per quarter and designed to grow over time, the program helps foster families reconnect, recharge, and create meaningful memories through supported vacation experiences.
Destination Motivation is a travel-based incentive partner serving home improvement, home service, and home product companies across North America. The company helps clients increase close rates, reduce cancellations, generate referrals, and improve customer satisfaction through turnkey vacation voucher programs, and it has been recognized by Power100 as the #1 Preferred Partner in the nation.
Ticket to Dream Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating hope and opportunity for children and youth in foster care by providing essentials, experiences, and life skills support nationwide. The organization has supported more than 5 million foster youth and works with 218 nonprofit partners across the United States.
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