SILVER SPRING, MD.—Employees from Choice Hotels International recently joined signature cause partner, Rebuilding Together, for the second annual “Room to Rebuild” project, revitalizing two Montgomery County homes.
Choice Hotels has been a partner of Rebuilding Together since September 2009, debuting its Room to Rebuild partnership to help revitalize homes nationwide and in its own backyard. Since that time, the company has sponsored, and its associates volunteered, for numerous rebuilding projects, and in 2009 alone almost 1,000 volunteers from Choice Hotels spent more than 6,000 hours on Rebuilding Together projects across the country. This year Choice Hotels associates and franchisees will focus their energy, volunteering to work on two Montgomery County homes in the Glenmont neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.
“Over the last year, Choice Hotels made a major commitment to Rebuilding Together and it has been great to see our associates and franchisees embrace this organization and really work together to help make a difference in the communities in which we all live and work,” said Bruce Haase, executive vice president of global brands, marketing and operations for Choice Hotels, who has recently joined Rebuilding Together’s National Board of Directors.
Major Repairs to Homes
The first house belongs to a 66-year-old woman, working a part-time job to take care of her son with special needs. Volunteers will make necessary repairs including replacing her furnace, air-conditioning, water heater and washer/dryer, and landscaping her yard. The electric connection in her house has become a fire hazard and will also be re-wired.
The second house belongs to a young woman with a 9-year-old child and a baby due in November. She bought her grandparents’ home two years ago and is struggling to make enough to pay the mortgage and other expenses. She has recently been cited for fire code regulations that need immediate attention. Volunteers will dismantle a garage that has collapsed, rebuild and repair walls, replace windows, construct a driveway and help landscape her yard. Her basement will also be analyzed by a structural engineer and reconstructed.
“Choice Hotels has become an integral part of our work to revitalize communities and restore homes across America,” said Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “We are happy to continue our relationship with Choice Hotels for the second annual Room to Rebuild, and look forward to another successful event.”
Go to Choice Hotels and Rebuilding Together.
