MIAMI, March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Some 1,000 volunteers will spend their Saturday painting and landscaping in two South Florida communities as part of the 10th annual Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises 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 and Celebrity employees, their families, friends, vendors and business partners to assist non-profit organizations with improving the quality of life in their local communities. Similar G.I.V.E. Day events will also take place Saturday in Wichita, Kansas; Anchorage, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland; Springfield, Oregon; London, England; and Barcelona and Madrid, Spain.
Approximately 900 volunteers will be painting and landscaping at Town Park Village in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, focusing on renovating 151- units of the 20-building co-op residences. This G.I.V.E. Day project is being coordinated with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the South Florida Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), as part of their ongoing efforts toward a comprehensive community revitalization of the Overtown neighborhood.
Town Park Village is home to more than 500 residents determined to pass Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspections as a key step toward attainable home ownership. G.I.V.E. Day volunteers will hasten the necessary repairs while the South Florida LISC and the Knight Foundation continue to work together in Overtown, and specifically in Town Park Village, preserving affordable housing for families in the area.
"The commitment of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises to Town Park Village and Overtown's revitalization is laudable," said Mike Maidenberg, vice president of communities for the Knight Foundation. "They join us in achieving the long-term goal of putting Overtown families in their own homes."
Approximately 100 additional volunteers will be painting at His House Children's Home in the city of Opa Locka, focusing on the interiors & exteriors four children's cottages.
His House Children's Home is a non-profit Christian organization established for the purpose of providing a safe, temporary home for children who have been abused, neglected, exposed to drugs, or whose parents are in crisis. The home provides care for children -- newborns to fourteen-year-olds -- placed by the state or family member regardless of race, religion and creed. His House is the only agency in South Florida where parents in crisis can place infants and young children voluntarily, without giving up their legal rights.
Now in its 10th year, G.I.V.E. Day is an example of how the 40,000 Royal Caribbean and Celebrity 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.
G.I.V.E. Day provides Royal Caribbean and Celebrity volunteers the opportunity to connect directly with their neighbors through public service projects that benefit the community. This hands-on approach is designed to empower the participants and promote further community service.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Pullmantur. The company has a combined total of 34 ships in service and six under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Australia, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Additional information can be found on http://www.royalcaribbean.com/, http://www.celebrity.com/, http://www.pullmantur.es/ or http://www.rclinvestor.com/.
