Accor Celebrates Earth Day With The Kids

Accor Celebrates Earth Day With The Kids

Accor employees throughout New Zealand used international Earth Day yesterday to put the spotlight on more than just the environment, with a series of picnics for children affected by life threatening illness and their families.

Called Earth Guest Day at Accor, the day is a culmination of campaigns pursued by employees throughout the year and highlights the Earth Guest program introduced by the Group in 2006 to join together its social and environmental responsibility initiatives. The idea behind 'Earth Guest Day' is that we are all guests of the earth and should take time out to give back to the planet.

In nearly 60 countries around the world, Accor teams support sustainable development programs that are organised around both people (for example projects to protect children, support local development, promote balanced nutrition and eliminate epidemics) and the environment (such as projects to control energy use, limit water consumption, manage waste and preserve biodiversity).

As its people project, Accor in New Zealand marked the day by raising awareness and celebrating the tremendous achievements it has made as a key partner of charity Cure Kids, with staff picnics in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and Queenstown. Since becoming a key partner in 2003, Accor has raised $1,241,762, which goes towards medical research for life threatening illnesses affecting children.

Earth Guest Day Activities By Region

Accor's Queenstown hotels Sofitel Queenstown, Grand Mercure St.Moritz, Novotel Gardens Queenstown and Mercure Resort Queenstown hosted a free picnic at the Queenstown Gardens. Cure Kids CEO Kaye Parker attended, along with all four General Managers and about 40 staff who enjoyed a balmy autumn day with a barbecue, gourmet organic foods, balloons, party bags and games for the children.

Nearly 100 people celebrated Earth Guest Day in Wellington with a picnic at the Dell, in the city's Botanical Gardens, including staff from Accor hotels Mercure, Mercure Willis Street, Ibis and Novotel Capital Wellington and their families, enjoying a beautiful Wellington day basked in sunshine.

Also in attendance were Cure Kids ambassadors, popular Hurricane Tamati Ellison and TV personality and former Tall Black Brendan Pongia, with his Dancing With The Stars partner Hayley Holt. Brendan spoke about his mission to assist the Cure Kids cause through his various fundraising activities, including Dancing With The Stars.

Activities included a bouncy castle, petting zoo, cricket, football and frisbee, followed by a barbecue lunch prepared by the Wellington Hotel General Managers. A surprise dessert was delivered when Mr Whippee arrived and handed out free icecreams to all the picnic-goers.

In Auckland, around 80 staff, friends and family came along to a day at the Auckland Zoo, with a delicious afternoon tea provided and gift packs for the children with toys and lollies. Cure Kids ambassadors joined in the fun and the highlight for many was a special visit from the zoo keeper and elephants Cashun and Burma.

Staff and their families from Novotel Lakeside Rotorua and Hotel Ibis Rotorua, along with Cure Kids ambassadors, came together for a family day at Paradise Valley where they had a chance to meet and feed the lion cubs. Everyone who attended received a snack bag with Paradise Valley Springs water, snacks (including chocolate which is being used to fundraise for a Cure Kids event). The group also planted a native tree to commemorate the occasion.

Guests at all picnics, along with every Accor staff member throughout the country, also received a reusable carry bag that Accor had specially made to mark Earth Day.

Thelma French, General Manager of Cure Kids, said the feedback she received from families who attended was fantastic.

"All of them had a fabulous time and will be talking about it for weeks to come. There were so many special moments for the kids like young Jack Peacock, who has a very painful disease (Hunter Syndrome) and is usually very shy. He met Brendon Pongia at the Wellington picnic and just immediately took to him, bouncing around with him and laughing and smiling. We are so grateful to those who went to so much trouble to make it such a special day for the Cure Kids ambassadors and their families."

Accor is the worldwide leader in hotels, tourism and corporate services, employing 170,000 people in 100 countries. . It offers to its individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:

• Hotels: over 4,000 hotels (475,000 rooms) in 90 countries (including 150 hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific under the brands Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1) as well as backpacker hostels, travel agencies, restaurants and casinos;


• Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services' products employee assistance programs, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs, events, food vouchers.

ENDS

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