NORTH BETHESDA, MD.—In celebration of Giving Tuesday, Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced the 2024 recipients of its “Your Community, Your Choice” grant program. Through this program, Choice supports causes that are meaningful to hotel owners by offering grants to local organizations. These grants have funded causes that address food security, veteran support, aid for abuse and trafficking victims, youth education, animal shelters, and more.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the initiative, which has donated a total of $275,000 to local nonprofits through more than 70 hotels across the United States since its inception in 2019. “At Choice Hotels, we believe in the power of our hotels to be catalysts for positive change within their communities,” said Megan Brumagim, Vice President, Upscale Brands and Chief Sustainability Officer, Choice Hotels International. “We’re honored to celebrate the fifth year of the ‘Your Community, Your Choice’ program by supporting the impactful work of these nonprofits, whose efforts align with our commitment to build a better tomorrow, today.”
Each of the 2024 nonprofit winners were nominated by Choice hotels which have a connection to the work and mission of these organizations in their communities. This year’s “Your Community, Your Choice” grant recipients are:
- Hilltop Community Resource Center: Nominated by Clarion Inn Grand Junction Airport (Grand Junction, Colo.), the funds will be donated to Hilltop Community Resource Center to support essential community services for those in need, including domestic violence victims and veterans.
- The Karing Home Youth Project: Nominated by Comfort Inn & Suites Gaylord (Gaylord, Mich.), the funds will be donated to the Karing Home Youth Project to provide shelter and resources for homeless youth in the area.
- SPCA of Southwest Michigan: Nominated by Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center (Kalamazoo, Mich.), the funds will be donated to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Southwest Michigan to assist with animal welfare and adoption initiatives.
- South Michigan Food Bank/Kendall Street Pantry: Nominated by Quality Inn & Suites Next to the Casino (Battle Creek, Mich.), the funds will be donated to South Michigan Food Bank/Kendall Street Pantry to address hunger by supplying food to those in need.
- Youth in Need: Nominated by WoodSpring Suites St Louis St Charles (Saint Charles, Mo.), the funds will be donated to Youth in Need to help vulnerable youth and families in the community through essential services, including housing support, educational programs, and mental health resources.
- Samaritan’s Purse: Nominated by Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection (Boone, N.C.), the funds will be donated to assist with Hurricane Helene recovery.
- InterAct: Nominated by MainStay Suites Raleigh North (Raleigh, N.C.), the funds will be donated to support victims of domestic violence and assault.
- Kidz Kottage: Nominated by Comfort Suites Idabel (Idabel, Okla.), the funds will be donated to provide services to children that have been victims of abuse.
- I Would Rather Be Reading: Nominated by Cambria Hotel Louisville Downtown-Whiskey Row (Louisville, Kentucky), the funds will be donated to support childhood literacy and social-emotional learning.
- Reclaiming Lives & Recovery Café: Nominated by Rodeway Inn Medford South I-5 (Medford, Ore.), the funds will be donated to provide support to those struggling with addiction through recovery planning and long-term support.
- Families of Autism Coming Together: Nominated by Comfort Inn & Suites Virginia Beach – Norfolk Airport (Virginia Beach, Va.), the funds will be donated to provide services to families affected by autism.
- JCI La Crosse: Nominated by Radisson Hotel La Crosse (La Crosse, Wis.), the funds will be donated to provide development opportunities that empower young people from underserved communities to create a positive change.
- Roots for Boots: Nominated by Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Gettysburg, PA (Gettysburg, Pa.), the funds will be donated to provide assistance to servicemen and women, including veterans and active-duty personnel, and their families.
- United Way of East TN Highlands: Nominated by Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown (Nashville, Tenn.), the funds will be donated to assist in Hurricane Helene disaster relief and recovery.
- The Children’s Shelter: Nominated by Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Lackland AFB (San Antonio), TX (San Antonio, Texas), the funds will be donated to provide programming and shelter for children and families.
As an advocate of local businesses since its founding, Choice Hotels places owners of its hotels at the center of everything it does. The Your Community, Your Choice program is one of many ways in which Choice empowers owners and operators to be engaged community members, including:
- Helping those in need, with ongoing efforts with the American Red Cross and Operation Homefront.
- Equipping hotels to help prevent human trafficking, and supporting its victims with PACT, Polaris, AHLA’s No Room For Trafficking, and SafeStay by ReloShare.
- Enabling hotels to reduce their environmental footprint by promoting sustainable practices and providing them with relevant tools such as the Room to be Green program, Green Key Global and WTTC’s Hotel Sustainability Basics certifications.
More information about the “Your Community, Your Choice” program can be found here:
https://choicehotelsdevelopment.com/your-community-your-choice/. For more information on Choice Hotels’ social responsibility efforts, access Choice’s latest Environment, Social, and Governance Report here: https://investor.choicehotels.com/esg/esg-documents/default.aspx.
