Danielle took the opportunity to treat her mother, who lives in Atlanta, to be her guest for the tropical adventure.

“I was so very proud of her and  then surprised and honored that she wanted me to go with her,” said Danielle’s mother, Dawn Burke. “I had a couple things that I had to consider before saying yes; that lasted about 10 minutess before I realized this was a trip of a lifetime for us and would do whatever it took to make it happen.”

“I hadn’t seen my mom since August 2010, so it was really great to get to do this with her,” recalled Danielle.

With Danielle living in Southern California, working at our headquarters in Encinitas, and Dawn located in Atlanta, the trip offered an opportunity for them to spend some quality time together.

“We had a lot of catching up to do so being able to have that one-on-one time by ourselves was priceless. I am so grateful,” said Danielle’s mother, Dawn Burke. ”It means to me that Danielle is working for a really good company that understands the importance of employee recognition.”

On a day-to-day basis, Danielle does an excellent job keeping FreedomVoice in compliance with all state and federal regulations, including with State Utility Commissions, State Department of Revenues, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), etc.

“I was shocked (to win the award), and since I have pretty horrid stage fright and had to go up to the front of the room in front of everyone, I pretty much blacked out and had to ask someone what the mention of Hawaii was about.” said Danielle. “When it was explained I had a choice between cash or this trip, I almost took the cash thinking the trip wasn’t REALLY a financially feasible option for me. But then I got to thinking, when am I ever going have an opportunity to go somewhere like Hawaii in the foreseeable future? Then the decision was easy.”

When asked about what winning an award of this magnitude meant to her, Danielle said, “It meant the world to me. I’ve considered myself extremely lucky to be part of the FreedomVoice team. When I say team, I MEAN team. There’s always an open door policy with our managers and the CEO. Our opinions, concerns, and suggestions are valued and respected.”

Getting to spend five days on one of the most ecologically diverse islands in the world made for some lasting memories.

“Laughing hysterically on the plane on our way there, mai tais, pool slides, snorkeling, seeing the most beautiful place I have ever seen with my daughter,” were just some of the highlights for Dawn.

Over the five days on the island, Danielle and Dawn enjoyed the many different climates of the 4,000 square mile island. Beach, volcano, desert, tropical jungle, almost any type of climate can be experienced there. Besides getting to spend quality time together, their favorite adventure was snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay and visiting Akaka falls.

“It was great to spend this time with her. We did what we always do… laugh ’til our stomachs hurt,” said Danielle.