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Initiative Supports Mission to Provide Reconstructive Surgeries for Patients in Remote Areas Across Region
The Ritz-Carlton hotels of Asia Pacific are proud to support Smile Asia for the fifth consecutive year with Smile Asia Week 2018, the annual regional fundraising initiative by the luxury brand which has raised more than US$1.8 million to-date for the global charity. Smile Asia which offers free, life-changing surgeries to children and adults with facial deformities such as cleft lips or palates.
Smile Asia is a global alliance of independent charities with activities in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States and Uzbekistan. It deploys medical volunteers to offer surgical care to patients, especially children, living in remote and medically-inaccessible areas in the region to perform corrective and reconstructive surgeries which have the power to transform their lives for the better.
Smile Asia Week 2018 will run from 7-13 May, with more than 10,000 Ladies and Gentlemen from 25 Ritz-Carlton hotels across Asia-Pacific participating in the initiative as part of the brand’s Community Footprints program, which promotes global environmental and social responsibility.
“The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints program mobilizes the resources and skills-based volunteer efforts by the Ladies and Gentlemen of Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world to make a difference in issues that are important to their communities,” said Victor Clavell, Area Vice President, Luxury, Asia Pacific Excluding China, Marriott International. “With Smile Asia Week 2018, we are glad to once again share our skills and resources to help this very worthwhile cause, and at the same time inspire our customers to join us in our efforts to make the world a happier place.”
Smile Asia Week 2018 will see pastry chefs of The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Asia-Pacific creating limited-edition cakes that will be offered for sale, and members of the public can support this initiative by ordering these gourmet cakes online for pickup, or delivery for selected orders, at their nearest Ritz-Carlton hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton hotels in each country and territory will be presenting their own luxuriously tempting cakes that reflect popular local variations in tastes and preferences, and choices are available depending on location. Cake flavors include Cold Raspberry Cheesecake, Valrhona Chocolate Banana, Cherry Chocolate, Cashew Caramel, Chocolate Smile and Valrhona Chocolate. Complete information on the cake selections available for Smile Asia Week 2018, and the Ritz-Carlton hotels to buy them from, is available via the www.smileasia.org website. All proceeds from the sales of cakes during Smile Asia Week 2018 will go directly to Smile Asia.
Since the start of the initiative five years ago, the Smile Asia Week program has supported over 2,000 surgeries that have improved the lives of thousands of patients and their families. More than 100 Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton hotels Asia-Pacific have also participated on mission trips across the region as non-medical volunteers. This year, over 30 medical missions will take place in China, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
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About Smile Asia
Smile Asia® is global alliance of independent charities that offer free surgeries to children with facial deformities, including cleft lip and palate. It has activities in 20 countries and program delivery in 13 Asian countries. Till date, the charities under Smile Asia have delivered nearly 70,000 surgeries combined. Smile Asia® is represented by The Smile Mission as its International Secretariat. It is a Singapore-registered charity and adheres to local regulatory requirements. For more information, visit www.smileasia.org.
About Community Footprints
With a commitment to “Expand Global Citizenship,” The Ritz-Carlton social and environmental responsibility program, Community Footprints, is embedded into the company’s service values, long-range plan and business operations. This commitment is focused on children’s well-being, environmental responsibility and hunger and poverty relief. For more information, visit
www.communityfootprints.com, or follow The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/RitzCarltonCSR.
About The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, MD., part of Marriott International, Inc., currently operates more than 90 hotels and 40 residential properties in more than 30 countries and territories. The Ritz-Carlton is proud to participate in the industry’s award-winning loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®. Members can now link accounts with Starwood Preferred Guest® at
members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information or reservations, visit the company web site at
www.ritzcarlton.com, for the latest company updates, visit
news.ritzcarlton.com and to join the live conversation, use #RCMemories and follow along on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR).