MINNEAPOLIS—For the 16th consecutive year, Radisson Hotel Group organized its annual Community Action Month in June, launching a number of activities to support communities around the world. The group continued its global partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, taking part in nearly 1,000 activities worldwide to provide food, shelter, and a better future for children and young people who need it most. This year, Radisson hotels and corporate and area offices dedicated more than 50,000 volunteer hours and raised more than $480,000 in cash and in-kind for SOS Children’s Villages and other local charities.
Radisson Hotel Group runs an ongoing project through which it encourages its 1,100 hotels to sponsor the upbringing and education of at least one child per property, helping to establish meaningful relationships with the SOS Children’s Villages in their respective countries.
“At Radisson Hotel Group, we care about the next generation,” said Inge Huijbrechts, global senior vice president of responsible business and safety and security for Radisson Hotel Group. “We are aware of the positive impact our hotels have on communities as employers and as partners in helping underprivileged children and young people. This is why our hotels and employees help provide food, shelter, and a better future together with SOS Children’s Villages. We live in a world where one in 10 children have lost—or is at risk of losing—their parental care, so it is vital to help provide these children with a loving home, a good education, and a good start in life. I am immensely proud to see the effort our teams around the world have put into volunteering and fundraising in the last month. Their actions and donations will make a big difference to 9,200 children and young people.”
Patricia Molano, head of international corporate partnerships and philanthropy at SOS Children’s Villages International, added, “It is exciting to see the various teams from across Radisson Hotel Group being involved and participating in activities to contribute to the lives of children, young people, and families around the world. As one of the largest organizations focused on supporting children without parental care and families at risk, at SOS Children’s Villages, we greatly value the support offered by our strategic partner Radisson Hotel Group—especially during its annual Community Action Month. It has become a keystone in our relationship, which we look forward to building on further in the future.”
In the United States, employees from the Americas Corporate office hosted an SOS Children’s Villages week. Among other activities, this featured a special ice-cream truck and a coin drive fundraiser, with all the proceeds (enough to fund one child for an entire year) going to SOS Children’s Villages. Team members from the corporate office also created a new partnership with BestPrep of Minnesota, putting together an eight-week online mentoring course that will be delivered to vulnerable students in September.
At the property level, the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview in Minnesota carried out activities to build further on its partnership with the American Indian Community Housing Organization as part of the Duluth Hotels Hearts of Hospitality program. A key part of this was the donation of soap, shampoo, and bed linens to those most in need.
