COMMUNITY
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Rezidor’s Box Appeal marks most successful year
68 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
his year’s Box Appeal, the annual charity campaign organised by the Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels and Radisson Royal Dubai, concluded with a donation of 15,210 boxes to the underprivileged. Carlson Rezidor is one of the first international hotel groups to implement a companywide initiative focusing on health and safety for guests and employees, on respect for social and ethical issues within the company, and on a reduced negative impact on the environment. Carlson Rezidor has been named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the last five years. “This year’s Box Appeal demonstrates that the spirit of altruism crosses every age, belief, culture and nationality, as volunteers turned out in droves to give back to their respective communities,” said Mark Willis, Area VP, Middle East & Sub-Saharan Africa for The Rezidor Hotel Group. “People from all walks of life have spent much time and effort to do their bit and we are truly grateful for this. After all, this initiative would not have been possible without the kindness, sincerity and support from our tireless volunteers.” Now in its seventh edition, this Middle East initiative involved volunteers from Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai and local communities in five countries collecting boxes with a predetermined list of essential items for the less fortunate. A total of 15 hotels, along with associated charities and schools in Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates participated in this year’s campaign, which ran for 30 days. Launched in 2008, the Box Appeal has grown from a charity drive in the Radisson Blu Dubai Media City to a Middle East- wide initiative. To date, the initiative has distributed over 70,000 boxes to the less fortunate. “Responsibility to the community is a value that is ingrained into Carlson Rezidor’s operations so the success of this initiative is evidence that our people put other people first,” continued Willis. “We hope that this thinking continues for the foreseeable future.”