Serve With Purpose

Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen Active in Over 100 Communities, 28 Countries and Territories

On International Volunteer Day, December 5, 2015, the Community Footprints teams at The Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts across the globe will “Serve With Purpose” to benefit their local communities. Focusing on hunger and poverty relief, child well-being, and the environment, the Ladies and Gentlemen will reach out to support those in need in over 100 communities in 28 countries and territories throughout the world. International Volunteer Day is designated annually by the United Nations to promote the ability of volunteers to make a real and sustainable impact.

The Ritz-Carlton is the first Founding Partner of IMPACT 2030, a business-led effort designed to marshal the power of employee volunteering to advance the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals .  “At The Ritz-Carlton, we are committed to mobilizing our teams around the world to share their skills and knowledge to lift up our communities and inspire our customers to join our efforts to create new opportunities to help the global community achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mr. Herve Humler, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Ritz-Carlton. “Through IMPACT 2030, the power of many will be the force that will allow us to make a difference and accomplish what none of us can achieve alone.”

“International Volunteer Day provides a unique platform for our employees to showcase the meaningful difference they’re making throughout the year, locally, nationally and internationally,” said Sue Stephenson, executive committee vice chair for IMPACT 2030 and Vice President, Community Footprints for The Ritz-Carlton. “It highlights our commitment to the mission of IMPACT 2030 to help combat the most critical issues facing our communities and inspire the private sector to positive action.”

A sample of the Community Footprints projects that The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen are participating in with their local partner community organizations on International Volunteer Day include –

  • The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman teams will volunteer at their Succeed Through Service partner school in addition to renovating a mangrove nursery, and in New Orleans, volunteers will collaborate with 8th grade Succeed Through Service students at the Second Harvest food bank to sort cans and package food boxes for the hungry and homeless in the local community;
  • Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, will host a mobile library and reading activities to promote children’s literacy programs, and Community Footprints volunteers at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove will work on habitat restoration projects in Virginia Key;
  • Employees at The Ritz-Carlton Washington DC area hotels have a goal to produce 1,000 meals benefiting DC Central Kitchen and in Dallas, employee volunteers will be creating hundreds of snack packs for Soup Mobile, a local organization that serves meals on the front-line of Dallas' homeless community;
  • Volunteers from The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing will host a Poetry Recitation Contest at the Beijing School for the Blind, while in Chengdu, employee volunteers will teach life skills at Sichuan Cheng Hua Special Educational School;
  • At Penha Longa, employee volunteers and students from Succeed Through Service partner school, Escola D. Fernando I, will volunteer to reconstruct local park trails and in Lake Tahoe, the Ladies and Gentlemen will participate in the Rise and Dine project, distributing clothing and serving dinner to individuals and families in need.

Partnering for Impact

Each IMPACT 2030 partner company has committed to applying its employee volunteer actions towards one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals in the form of capacity building and civic engagement. The growing network of businesses joining The Ritz-Carlton as IMPACT 2030 Founding Partners includes: IBM, SAP, Google, TATA Consultancy Services, PwC, UPS, Medtronic, GSK and la Caixa Bank, amongst others. IMPACT 2030 partner companies recognize that a commitment to corporate volunteering — when used in concert with the United Nations, peer companies, and philanthropic and nonprofit organizations — is a powerful tool to address critical social and environmental issues.

Learn more by visiting IMPACT2030 .com, following @IMPACT2030 on Twitter and by visiting the Global Goals Employer Toolkit (sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton, IBM and SAP).

About The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates 91 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. More than 40 hotel and residential projects are under development around the globe. For more information, or reservations visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR).