ATLANTA, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Starwood Foundation, the
philanthropic trust of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, one of the world's largest
hotel companies, has become the first national sponsor of CityCares'
Serve-a-Thon events. Starwood signed on to sponsor Serve-A-Thons in Atlanta,
New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. This sponsorship is part of
Starwood's comprehensive national community outreach campaign called StarCare
for the Community.
Serve-a-Thons, which occur annually in CityCares' affiliate cities, are
day-long fundraising events where individuals, corporations, families, friends
and communities join together to make a powerful difference in the lives of
others. Thousands of volunteers in each city gather on one day to complete
hundreds of community service projects, including painting murals in
elementary schools, cleaning up playgrounds and public parks, visiting senior
citizens, providing food for the homeless and reading to children.
As a national sponsor, The Starwood Foundation donated $200,000 to help
make the Serve-A-Thons successful and associates of Starwood have worked
alongside City Cares affiliate volunteers in each city on event day. In
Washington, D.C., Boston and Chicago, where Serve-A-Thons have already taken
place, Starwood associates, families and friends donated 3,344 volunteer
hours. At Hands On Atlanta Day on October 7, Starwood associates will be
working to revitalize three elementary school campuses. Some of the projects
will include building an amphitheater, painting murals and landscaping.
"We saw that partnering with CityCares provided us with a way to make a
national impact, as well as provide our associates with a unique opportunity
to give back to the communities in which they live and work," said Barry
Sternlicht, chairman and chief executive for Starwood.
Starwood's commitment to a national sponsorship came as the result of a
long-time relationship with Chicago Cares and their annual Serve-a-Thon event.
The partnership also is a direct result of Starwood's commitment to America's
Promise, an organization dedicated to making our nation's youth successful.
"We are thrilled to partner with a company so committed to having a
positive impact on communities across the country," said Michele Naporano,
CityCares associate director. "This national sponsorship will really open the
doors to increasing the impact of Serve-A-Thon events everywhere."
CityCares is a national umbrella organization for local CityCares
organizations across the country. It seeks to promote a heightened
understanding of community needs and service, and to improve the quality of
life in the communities served by the more than 27 CityCares organizations.
Serve-A-Thons give members of each community an opportunity to suggest service
projects and then see those projects completed by teams of volunteers. Last
year, 77,000 volunteers completed 250,000 hours of community service in
Serve-a-Thons nationally.
Hands On Atlanta, Boston Cares, Chicago Cares, New York Cares and Greater
DC Cares are the affiliates being supported by the Starwood sponsorship. The
two remaining Serve-a-Thons will take place on October 7 in Atlanta and
October 14 in New York. Anyone interested in joining the CityCares volunteers
to serve their community can find more information by visiting
http://www.citycares.org and linking to their local affiliate's Web site.
The Starwood Foundation is the philanthropic trust of Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), one of the leading hotel and
leisure companies in the world with more than 725 properties in 80 countries
and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With
internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner,
operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury
Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points and W brands, as well as Starwood
Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high
quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please
visit us at http://www.starwoodhotels.com.
SOURCE Starwood Foundation
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com
http://www.citycares.org
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/443150.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 443150
CONTACT:
Jennifer Belodeau of Starwood Hotels &
Resorts, 914-640-8481, jennifer.belodeau@starwoodhotels.com; or
Ashley Malone of communications 21, 404-814-1330,
amalone@c21pr.com
|
