Orlando Hotelier Spearheads $1 Million Relief Effort for Haiti

Harris Rosen, Sen. Bill Nelson, and Orlando's Haitian Community Work Together to Raise Money and Col

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. January 20, 2010

ORLANDO, FL (Janary 14, 2010) - Orlando hotelier Harris Rosen, President and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, announced today a comprehensive and long-term relief effort to raise at least $1 million in donations as well as to collect first aid, medical and hygiene supplies to assist the earthquake victims in Haiti. Rosen jump-started the fundraising campaign with a personal donation of $250,000 and is seeking assistance from local companies, vendors, churches, Rosen Hotels & Resorts' associates and individuals in the Orlando community to raise the balance.

Relief donations will be channeled through the Harris Rosen Foundation, which has managed the hotelier's multi-million philanthropic endeavors for more than 15 years. One hundred percent of donations received through the Harris Rosen Foundation will be used for relief efforts in Haiti.

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Rosen and his internal team met with Senator Bill Nelson and several leaders from Orlando's Haitian community to determine the immediate needs of those affected by this week's earthquake. Along with cash needed to buy supplies, the group is collecting first aid kits, medical supplies (bandages, gauze, peroxide, etc.), blankets, towels, washcloths, hygiene products (soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.), antibiotics and bug spray. No clothes, shoes or food will be accepted at this time. Rosen is also working with pharmaceutical vendors via his onsite Rosen Medical Center to secure donations of medical supplies.

Supplies may be dropped off at Rosen Centre hotel, 9840 International Dr., Orlando, FL 32819 or at First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando, 4701 Lenox Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32811 or at the Child development Center of Orlando, 11553 Winter Garden Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL 32836. Monetary donations may be mailed to the Harris Rosen Foundation, memo: Haiti Relief, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. The Harris Rosen Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (FEIN #59-2890420). For more information, call 407-996-6715 or visit www.rosenhotels.com/haiti.

Approximately 30 percent of Rosen Hotels & Resorts' associates are from Haiti or are of Haitian descent, bringing the grief and worry very close to home for the hotelier and the 4,500 total associates within Rosen's seven Orlando hotels. Grief counselors have also been made available to associates via the Rosen Medical Center and Family Outreach Center.

This is not the first time that Rosen Hotels & Resorts and the Harris Rosen Foundation have come to the aid of the Haitian people. Four years ago, Rosen hosted a “Water for Haiti” benefit, partnering with Air Mobile Ministries in Titusville, Fla. to raise $350,000 to purchase portable water purification systems for Haiti. The hotel chain regularly sends soap to the third-world country and had accumulated more than 50,000 bars that it was going to ship prior to the earthquake. The soap will now be sent along with the other medical and first aid supplies.

“Even after we reach our goal of $1 million, we won't stop. The devastation in Haiti is immeasurable, and we know that this is a long-term commitment,” said Rosen. “We are grateful for the expertise and first-hand knowledge of our friends in the Orlando Haitian community to help us determine the greatest immediate needs, so that the relief effort can be done in stages.”

Partners in the Rosen Hotels & Resorts relief effort include the First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando, Senator Bill Nelson's Office, the Consulate of Haiti in Orlando, Haitian American Chamber of Commerce, Tekontrol, and Senator Gary Siplin's Office.

Due to its competitive wages and outstanding associate benefit program, including the onsite Rosen Medical Center, wellness programs, continuing education and language development programs, Rosen Hotels & Resorts has one of the lowest associate turnover rates in the hotel industry. Funding from the Harris Rosen Foundation has allowed for the creation of the Tangelo Park Project, which provides free preschool, college and vocational education to disadvantaged youth; the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management; and the Jack and Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Jewish Community Center. The Foundation also contributes to numerous charitable organizations throughout Central Florida and beyond each year.

The Rosen Hotels & Resorts family includes three award-winning convention properties, Rosen Plaza, Rosen Centre and Rosen Shingle Creek, and four leisure properties in the Orlando tourist corridor, including the Quality Inn International, Quality Inn Plaza and Rodeway Inn International and Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista.

For more information, visit www.rosenhotels.com or call 866-33-ROSEN.