More than 1,000 volunteers associated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will spend this Saturday painting and landscaping their South Florida community as part of the company's 14th annual G.I.V.E. Day.
G.I.V.E., which stands for "Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere," is a community service event that brings together Royal Caribbean employees, their families, friends, vendors and business partners to assist non-profit organizations and improve the quality of life in their local communities. The volunteers will be painting and landscaping three South Florida locations - Covenant House in Fort Lauderdale, Children's Harbor in Pembroke Pines and the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach.
"As one of the largest employers in South Florida, we are committed to supporting and helping our local communities. It is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility," said Michele Nadeem, vice president of Global Corporate Communications, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We believe that the personal satisfaction and fun of assisting our neighbors on G.I.V.E. Day will help inspire our employees to pursue volunteer and public service opportunities throughout the year."
Covenant House Florida serves runaway, homeless and at-risk youth under 21, including teen parents and their children in South Florida. Without a fresh coat of paint in over 15 years, this facility is a perfect location for G.I.V.E. Day volunteers. Since there is also a dire need for shade on the property, volunteers will be landscaping the site as well.
Children's Harbor in Pembroke Pines provides residential services for foster children in a family-style setting, and community based services for the prevention and intervention of abuse and neglect. The five homes on site are in need of painting, and volunteers will also assist in cleaning up and landscaping the children's playground area.
The Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach was dedicated and opened to the public in 1990. The Memorial is composed of a large plaza of Jerusalem stone and a large lily pond set against a backdrop of green forest. Volunteers will landscape the area around the educational center, as well as paint the memorial's lamp posts.
Now in its 14th year, G.I.V.E. Day is an example of how the more than 40,000 Royal Caribbean employees give back to their communities around the world, by donating thousands of volunteer hours to assist their communities with neighborhood development, civic drives, environmental improvement and disaster recovery. Similar G.I.V.E. Day events are also being planned for and will take place in Wichita, Kansas; Anchorage, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; and Springfield, Oregon.
