Tauck World Discovery celebrates a unique milestone recently when it hosted the 10,000th participant in its award-winning guest-volunteer program in Yellowstone National Park.

(PRWEB) - Tauck World Discovery celebrated a unique milestone recently when it hosted the 10,000th participant in its award-winning guest-volunteer program in Yellowstone National Park. The 10,000th volunteer was in one of three Tauck tour groups working in the Park over the weekend of July 19 - 20. The volunteers each donated a portion of their vacation time with Tauck, an escorted tour operator, to work on preservation and beautification projects in Yellowstone National Park.

According to Tauck president Robin Tauck, the company declined to identify which specific worker was the 10,000th volunteer. “The success of the program is shared equally by all of the 10,000 Tauck guests that have volunteered over the past six years,” said Tauck. “It’s not about one person, but about the combined contribution of 10,000 people working together.”

Tauck also used the occasion to present a $10,000 check to benefit the Yellowstone Ranger Fund, which will help restore the Park’s historic backcountry cabins. Overall, Yellowstone is home to more than 1,100 historic structures, many of which have benefited from the work of Tauck’s guest-volunteers.

Honored at The White House
Tauck’s Yellowstone program has received widespread recognition, including being honored by President Bush at the White House in 2006 with the nation’s highest honor for historic preservation, the Preserve America Presidential Award. Tauck’s efforts have also been honored by the U.S. Interior Department and Reader’s Digest magazine, which named the program to its annual list of “America’s 100 Best.”

About Tauck World Discovery
Tauck World Discovery is a Connecticut-based escorted tour and cruise operator with more than 100 journeys in over 60 countries worldwide. The guests who participate in the volunteer program do so while traveling with Tauck on one of the company’s two Western U.S. trips that include a tour of Yellowstone National Park. More than 50% of the guests on Tauck’s Yellowstone tours (http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours/western-usa-travel/yellowstone-tours-sln-2008) opt to participate in the program, and 94% of those who do would volunteer again if given the opportunity. Besides restoring historic structures, Tauck’s guest-volunteers have completed a number of other tasks including removal of non-native plant species, controlling rain runoff, repairing flood damage, and more.

The Yellowstone program is part of Tauck’s “World Of Giving” corporate philanthropy initiative, which also includes annual employee volunteerism events, domestic and international destination grants, and other efforts.