MARRIOTT IN HAWAII EMBRACES THE COMMUNITY WITH MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION IN 2007 CHARITABLE GIVING
General Managers from Marriott International in Hawaii present a check in the amount of more than $ 140,000 to Kapi’olani Children’s Miracle Network as part of Marriott’s Spirit to Serve Program.
Back Row: Left to Right
Bill Countryman – Kaua’i Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Rodney Ito -Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Andrew Rogers - Ritz Carlton, Kapalua, Dan Banchiu - JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Rob Welch - Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, Steve Yannarell - Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club, John Jaskula - Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, and Murray Towill, - Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association.
Front Row: Left to Right
Mari Olson - Marriott International, Stacey Acma – Kapi’olani Children’s Miracle Network, Aron Friedman - Marriott International
HONOLULU, HAWAII – June 3, 2008 – It has been an incredible journey of
giving back to the community for Marriott International in Hawaii. With a
presence of 10 resorts on the four major Hawaiian Islands, the world’s leading
hospitality lodging company gave more than $1.5 million in monetary donations
and in-kind services to numerous non-profit and community organizations in
2007 in Hawaii as part of “Marriott’s Spirit to Serve” corporate program.
“At a time when our U.S. economy faces a downturn and businesses in general
are being selective in charitable giving, we as a company, Marriott International,
are fortunate that we are able to give back to our community where we live and
work,” said Ed Hubennette, vice president, Marriott International. “It’s not only
important that we make significant monetary contributions in our community,
but also show our commitment in the way in which our 5,000 Marriott Hawaii
associates have logged a collective 8,000 volunteer hours in 2007 alone,” added
Hubennette.
Since its humble beginnings on Maui in 1981, Marriott has expanded to 10 resorts
spanning the three hotel brands, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, and Marriott; and
two vacation ownership brands, Marriott Vacation Club International and The
Ritz-Carlton Club.
Giving back to Hawaii’s communities is a Marriott trademark that’s
accomplished through Marriott’s Spirit to Serve program. Although Marriott
supports a wide variety of community initiatives and organizations, the program
focuses the company’s knowledge, experience and resources into five main areas:
Shelter and Food
Environment
Readiness for Hotel Careers
Vitality of Children
Embracing Diversity and People with Disabilities
Examples of Marriott’s philanthropic activities are as follows:
American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter
The American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter was the recipient of $60,000 from
Marriott in Hawaii to support the humanitarian, non-profit organization that
provides relief to disaster victims and helps people prevent, prepare and respond
to emergencies. “We are truly grateful for Marriott’s support in helping the
Hawaii Red Cross fulfill our mission of preventing and alleviating human
suffering,” said Coralie Matayoshi Chun, chief executive officer, American Red
Cross, Hawaii State Chapter. “Marriott’s generosity will save lives and give hope
to hundreds of local families who are victims of disaster, enable us to teach
lifesaving skills to 36,000 people a year, and provide emergency communications
for our military families in times of crisis. We cannot thank Marriott enough for
their wonderful contribution to the cause of humanity.”
Kapi‘olani Children’s Miracle Network
Other Marriott-supported programs helping to make Hawaii a better place to
live and work include The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) that benefits
Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children. More than $140,000 in cash
was raised for CMN in order to assist families with children who need
hospitalization. “The continued generosity shown by Marriott in Hawaii helps
make miracles happen for our children. One hundred percent of every dollar
raised by Marriott stays right here in Hawaii, truly making a difference in our
community. The biggest miracles begin with the smallest acts of kindness and we
thank Marriott for sharing in the miracles,” said Stacey Acma, director,
Kapi‘olani Children's Miracle Network.
Marriott Links to Literacy
The primary Marriott-inspired program in Hawaii is “Marriott Links to
Literacy,” which supports literacy in Hawaii. For the past 14 years, the Marriottsponsored
golf tournament has raised $950,000, including $165,000 from the 2007
event. "The Friends of the Library of Hawaii is grateful to Marriott for generously
serving as the title sponsor of the annual Links to Literacy golf tournament. This
event raises funds for public library programs not covered by the State of Hawaii
budget," said Byrde Cestare of Friends of the Library of Hawaii.
Habitat for Humanity
An example of philanthropy at work is Marriott’s involvement and support of
Habitat for Humanity in Hawaii. In 2007, Marriott helped to finance four homes,
while its associates volunteered their time to assist with construction. Altogether,
Marriott’s statewide support of Habitat for Humanity stands at $175,000 in cash
and in-kind contributions and 15 new homes since 2003. One Marriott-sponsored
Habitat for Humanity home helped to make a dream come true five years ago for
Esther and Edwin Naeole of Pukalani, Maui. “I shall never forget that after
waiting for more than 20 years, our dream home was made possible by Marriott
associates who helped build our three-bedroom house,” said Edwin Naeole.
Visitor Industry Charity Walk
Marriott also served as a driving force in the 2007 Visitor Industry Charity Walk.
To date, Marriott donations have totaled more than $1 million in cash over the
years for this annual event in which hundreds of Marriott associates participate
statewide.
Education
The company’s commitment to life-long learning also extends into career
opportunities for local college students. Recently, Marriott in Hawaii provided
$100,000 in education grants at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa, School
of Travel Industry Management (TIM School).
Marriott also provides internships, mentoring opportunities, and management
training positions for students at the TIM School and the UH statewide system of
community colleges; Hawaii Pacific University; and Brigham Young University –
Hawaii. Yet another initiative taken is on Groundhog Day, whereby Marriott
properties in Hawaii arrange for high school students to shadow their associates
in different departments to learn and understand their roles and responsibilities.
Marriott in Hawaii also sponsored Governor Linda Lingle’s Hawaii Innovation
Initiative to engage Hawaii students in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) education and to foster the innovation capacity in local residents.
“We very much appreciate Marriott’s exemplary support of education in
Hawaii,” said Theodore E. Liu, director of the State of Hawaii Department of
Business, Economic Development and Tourism. “Through Marriott’s
involvement with Hawaii’s scholastic robotics programs, our young people are
gaining valuable science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills that
will enable them to be more successful in the 21st century’s global economy.
# # # #
Editor’s Note: Digital images of various community projects and interviews with
representatives of charity organizations benefiting from Marriott’s community efforts
available upon request.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL has 10 hotel and vacation ownership properties on four of the
major Hawaiian Islands – Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii’s Big Island. The properties are: Ritz-
Carlton, Kapalua; Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club; Marriott’s Kaua‘i Beach Club; JW
Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa; Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa; Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club;
Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club; Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club; Wailea Beach Marriott Resort &
Spa; Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than
2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International
operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence
Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and
operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-
Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides
furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers and
golf courses. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 143,000
employees at 2005 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the
best places to work for by FORTUNE®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from
continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at
www.marriott.com.
For More Information, Contact:
Bernie Caalim, Jeanne Datz Rice, Noreen Kam or Erin Kinoshita
McNeil Wilson Communications
1003 Bishop Street, 9th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 531.0244
Fax: (808) 521.7163
Email: bernie.caalim@mwc-anthology.com, jeanne.datz.rice@mwc-anthology.com,
noreen.kam@mwc-anthology.com or erin.kinoshita@mwc-anthology.com
