The Tribune

MORE than two dozen volunteers from the British Colonial Hilton Nassau rolled up their sleeves and got down to work at The Salvation Army, Mackey Street yesterday as Hilton Worldwide’s third annual Global Week of Service got underway.

The helpful hands of the volunteers, who represented various departments within the hotel, sifted through 13 bags of assorted clothing articles for children and adults donated to The Salvation Army. The community outreach was the first in a series of initiatives to be undertaken by employees of the resort property.

“We are beyond grateful to the British Colonial Hilton Nassau for extending its arms of care to our organisation during its week of community outreach,” said Melanese Coakley, Community Relation Associate at The Salvation Army.

“We are always looking for extra pairs of hands and hearts to assist us in our daily outreach in the community and today’s team of volunteers, who helped to sort clothes and sit with our kids in the after school programme, assisted us in more ways than you could imagine.”

Community service is an integral part of Hilton Worldwide’s culture, and acts of volunteerism occur year-round across its portfolio of 12 distinct brands and more than 4,200 properties.

“The company’s commitment to serving and enriching the communities where we live, work and travel is vital,” said Rui Domingues, General Manager at British Colonial Hilton Nassau. “These efforts help to bring balance to our lives as a team and as individuals.”

Global Week of Service is Hilton Worldwide’s largest annual volunteer service. “I had no idea that the Salvation Army had such a major operation underway here,” said Nathan Duncan, Cacique Award Nominee for Manager of the Year at British Colonial Hilton Nassau. “I now understand that the monies which it makes from selling donated clothing items are used towards funding its school programme for the blind and its after school programme as well. I’ll definitely be back to continually lending my support.”

Services by The Salvation Army in the Bahamas touch up to 40,000 lives every year. The Army has two locations in New Providence and one in Grand Bahama. Its services include The Erin H Gilmour School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, community computer laboratories, after-school tutor programmes, clothing and assistance to meet basic household, education and medical needs and traditional soup kitchens.

British Colonial Hilton Nassau volunteers will continue their outreach tomorrow when two dozen volunteers will distribute clothing and grocery items to those in need across New Providence.