MCLEAN, Va. - Wednesday, October 30th 2013 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE) Hilton Worldwide celebrated the company’s annual volunteer campaign completing more than 2,400 volunteer projects in over 700 cities in 72 countries throughout the month of October. Now in its second year, Global Week of Service is Hilton Worldwide’s largest annual volunteer service event which recognizes the company’s service and volunteer culture and strengthens the communities Hilton Worldwide serves.
Team Members from over 900 properties and offices completed projects including résumé building for and mentoring of youth, refurbishment of schools and community centers, preservation of cultural landmarks, river and park clean-ups, meal preparation and the creation of community gardens and green spaces. All of the projects focused on engaging Team Members to deliver Hilton Worldwide's commitment to Travel with PurposeTM and its corporate responsibility pillars: creating opportunities, strengthening communities, celebrating cultures and living sustainably. Throughout the past year, Team Members have donated over 150,000 volunteer hours globally.
"Our second annual Global Week of Service exceeded our goals, allowing us to make an even greater impact on the communities where we live, work and travel,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and chief executive officer, Hilton Worldwide. "Exceptional service is at the core of what we deliver every day for millions of guests around the world, and Hilton Worldwide’s Global Week of Service is another opportunity for us to bring our Team Members together and celebrate our passion to serve.”
To help facilitate Global Week of Service and other volunteer projects across its global footprint, Hilton Worldwide leverages the Purpose Portal, a customized volunteer tool that connects Team Members with projects and organizations in their communities and recruits volunteers for thousands of organizations around the world. The platform also provides resources for the company’s global network of thousands of community and sustainability champions and volunteer project organizers enabling Hilton Worldwide to empower Team Members to take a leadership role in planning activities not only for its Global Week of Service, but also year-round.
Throughout Global Week of Service, Hilton Worldwide’s network of partners, including Points of Light, Hilton in the Community Foundation, Global Soap Project and Feeding America in addition to more than 1,300 local community organizations supported the company’s Team Members as they participated in community service projects around the globe.
Examples of volunteer projects during this year’s Global Week of Service include:
Americas
Across the United States and Canada, teams worked to improve conditions in the communities the company serves. In Memphis, TN, Team Members volunteered more than 430 hours to create new living spaces at Door of Hope. In McLean, VA over 6,000 pounds of food were assembled into weekend packs for students and emergency kits for food bank clients. Team Members in Orlando, FL made improvements to the Coalition for the Homeless facility and supported the launch of a new family program for their communities. And in Los Angeles, more than 80 volunteers from area hotels came together to create a sustainable, edible garden and irrigation system for more than 1,700 middle school students. Members of the Hilton Worldwide community also revitalized outdoor schools, food pantries and community shelters; hosted cultural events and learning sessions; and mentored youth about the skills needed in the hospitality sector.
In Colombia, Hilton Bogota and Hilton Cartagena Team Members volunteered more than 144 hours to join with a local school to refurbish its facilities and outdoor learning environment to create a safe space for children to learn.
Europe, Middle East & Africa
Team Members participated in more than 250 projects including preserving the banks of the Thames River in London where 48 bags of rubbish were removed and saplings were planted along the river; cleaning the Burgazada Coast in Istanbul, Turkey where 253.5 kg of garbage was removed; serving 280 youth in Frankfurt, Germany by installing a library to serve multicultural students at the Gunderrode Primary School; refurbishing and renovating the Al Garhoud National Charity School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and revitalizing the Breakspeare School in Watford, UK which serves children with special needs.
Asia Pacific
Hundreds of volunteers joined together to create significant impact in their communities. In Thailand, 700 volunteers from Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of properties throughout the country served with 10 community partners in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket and Koh Samui. Mt. Fuji was the project site for Hilton Worldwide’s Japan corporate and hotel Team Members who dedicated multiple days to clean-up efforts at the national landmark. Team Members in Singapore spent two full days improving the lives of nearly 400 youth and senior citizens by providing meals, care packages and hospitality to Sunbeam Place and Peace Connect.
During the Week, Team Members were encouraged to share their personal stories of service and hospitality through a variety of channels. Photos and stories from the events are now posted at www.hiltonworldwide.com/serve, on the Hilton Worldwide Facebook page, on Flickr and on the @HiltonWorldwide Twitter account.
About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. For 94 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences. The company’s portfolio of ten world-class global brands is comprised of more than 4,000 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 665,000 rooms in 90 countries and territories, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonorsTM. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.
About Travel with PurposeTM
Travel with PurposeTM is Hilton Worldwide's corporate responsibility commitment to providing shared value to its business and communities in four areas - creating opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential; strengthening communities where Hilton Worldwide operates; celebrating cultures and the power of travel; and living sustainably through the measurement, analysis and improvement of the company's use of natural resources.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20131030005205/en/
Contacts
Hilton Worldwide
Sarah Lipman
(703) 883-5315
sarah.lipman@hilton.com
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