CHICAGO (December 2, 2014) – Hyatt has joined forces with #GivingTuesday to help spread the spirit of joy and generosity this holiday season by awarding 31 nonprofits across the globe with Hyatt Community Grants to further their efforts within their local communities. With these grant awards, Hyatt is celebrating a significant milestone: surpassing $2 million in grant funding since the program’s inception in 2008.
“The Hyatt Community Grants program builds on Hyatt’s belief that no one better understands a community’s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those who live and work there,” said Brigitta Witt, Hyatt’s global head of corporate responsibility. “We are honored to support these 31 grantees and their valuable contributions to their communities while recognizing our hotel colleagues for their longstanding ties with organizations that are really making a difference at the local level.”
The Hyatt Community Grants empower Hyatt hotels to make a difference in their own backyards by recognizing and rewarding the efforts of area nonprofits that Hyatt colleagues work with year round through volunteerism, giving and other forms of community support. Individual hotels are invited to nominate their nonprofit partners to receive a Hyatt Community Grant ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to help further the organization’s mission throughout the following year.
All participating nonprofits must have a significant local presence and must support one of the four core focus areas of Hyatt’s signature corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive – Environmental Sustainability, Education & Career Readiness, Economic Development & Investment or Health & Wellness.
Celebrating a Milestone
Now in its seventh year, the Hyatt Community Grants program is celebrating a significant milestone with more than $2 million in grant funding since its inception to nonprofit organizations in 123 communities and 38 countries around the world.
“It’s inspiring to see how far we’ve come and how the program has evolved over the years. Year after year, we are impressed by the growing partnerships that our hotels have developed with their local nonprofit organizations. To know that we’ve helped so many organizations that are committed to the success and prosperity of our communities is motivating,” said Witt. “I am thrilled that we have reached such a significant milestone of giving more than two million dollars throughout the last seven years of our grant program, and I look forward to continuing this positive momentum in the future to help many more of these well-deserving nonprofit organizations.”
Funding for the Hyatt Community Grants program is provided through Hyatt Hotel Corp.
Making a Difference on #GivingTuesday
Hyatt is one of the newest companies to join the #GivingTuesday social movement, a global day dedicated to giving back around the world. On December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers and students around the world come together for one common purpose – to celebrate generosity and to give back.
To celebrate and spread the word about their important and impactful work, Hyatt will spotlight the nonprofit recipients on a special microsite, HyattCommunityGrants.com. The supporting Hyatt hotels will also be sharing their stories of giving back via social media using the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #HyattThrive.
“#GivingTuesday is celebrated on a large scale around the world and shared broadly through digital media, but the impact of #GivingTuesday is seen in individual communities, where neighbors get together to address and meet the specific needs of the people around them. Hyatt’s #GivingTuesday campaign is a great example of harnessing the power of a global brand in support of grassroots efforts that create meaningful change on the ground,” said Asha Curran, director of #GivingTuesday.
For more information on the recipients of the Hyatt Community Grants program, please visit www.HyattCommunityGrants.com.
The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
About Hyatt Community Grants
Hyatt Community Grants is a key component of Hyatt Thrive, the company’s global corporate responsibility program. Hyatt Thrive is designed to help make the communities in which Hyatt operates places that associates are proud to work, guests want to visit, neighbors want to live and hotel owners want to invest. Hyatt Thrive harnesses the power of more than 95,000 Hyatt associates at over 570 properties around the world, to focus on positive local efforts that create a significant global impact. For more information about Hyatt Thrive, please visit www.HyattThrive.com.
About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday, December 2, 2014, follows the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, kicking off the holiday giving season with a global day dedicated to charitable giving, combining the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities. Now in its third year, #GivingTuesday is a worldwide movement that celebrates the power of giving in all its forms.
This effort builds on the collective power of a unique blend of partners – charities, families, businesses and individuals – to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. For more information, visit www.givingtuesday.org.
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company's subsidiaries manage, franchise, license, own and develop hotels, resorts, branded residences and vacation ownership properties under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Zilara™, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Residences® and Hyatt Residence Club® brand names and have locations on six continents. As of September 30, 2014, the Company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 573 properties in 48 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
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CONTACT:
Kanakara Markar
312.780.5579
Kanakara.markar@hyatt.com