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Meet Our Homeland Heritage Tour Coordinators

Andi Arndt

Andi is from Harrisonburg, Virginia and has traveled and lived in different parts of North America, Asia and Europe. In 2002 and 2004, Andi and her husband Chris traveled with Lotus to Chongqing, China to adopt two beautiful daughters. She and her family are looking forward to returning to China as part of a Lotus tour group in 2010, but in the meantime Andi lives vicariously through families in the Virginia and Washington DC area who are ready to plan their own Homeland Heritage Tours. Andi is very active in the adoption community and serves as the moderator for the FCC-Shenandoah Valley chapter.

Marie Gonda

Marie grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. She moved to different states throughout the years and finally settled down in North West Ohio 12 years ago. Marie and her husband Mike have three children: a biological son and two daughters adopted from China. Marie is involved in the Chinese adoption community online and in various adoption groups in her area. She also volunteers for Chinese children’s organizations that help orphans. Marie enjoys traveling, photography, scrap booking, talking to people, and spending time with her family during her free time. She really enjoys working with Lotus Travel because she gets to talk to people about her favorite subjects: children, travel, and China.

Iris Culp

Iris Culp is from Oklahoma. She has seven years of professional experience in the travel industry prior to becoming an adoptive parent of two girls from China. As a pleased customer of Lotus for her two adoption trips, she is thrilled to promote Lotus Homeland Heritage tours. She is excited to work in a field that is related to adoption, which she is passionate about. It is a joy to assist other adoptive families in planning these trips, which she thinks are an important key in the identity development of adopted children.

Sandee McAlpine

Sandee lives in Mason, Ohio with her husband David and 5 children. She has traveled to Korea and China on adoption trips, and also to Vietnam with a humanitarian aid group. In addition, she and her family have traveled to 26 states in the US, visiting relatives or camping. Besides traveling, the family enjoys visiting amusement parks, rafting, canoeing, and participating in events with friends in the local China and Korea adoption support groups. Sandee was delighted to become a Lotus Heritage Tour Coordinator after Lotus Travel helped the family with travel arrangements to bring her youngest daughter, Brynn, home from China in 2003. She and her family are looking forward to booking their own heritage tour in the near future.

Catherine Collinson

Catherine moved from Montreal to Toronto in 1980. In 1997, She and her husband Keith adopted their eldest daughter Hannah from China. Three years later, they adopted their second daughter Olivia. Catherine became a full time mother since 1997 and joined Lotus Travel in 2005. She is very excited about her coordinator position at Lotus because she is very passionate about China, adoption and China Homeland Heritage Tours.

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