Smart Meetings

Giving Back With Grace

Author: Carla Breer Howard
August 2007

Features

Grow personally and in the industry by offering to help

If you haven’t been giving, you’ll find no guilt trips here. Instead, consider this moment the chance to open up a little window into your heart. You may not feel you have much to give, and it’s true that, other than interns on emergency room shifts and air traffic controllers at O’Hare, all of us in the meetings and hospitality industries are the most time-pressed people on earth. Nevertheless, some inspiring individuals, companies and organizations within our industries have found ways. Here are some wonderful stories that we’ve encountered in the last six months. Be inspired.

IN CHARITY THERE IS NO EXCESS.
 —SIR FRANCIS BACON

We’re a giving nation. Hot off the press as I write this at the end of June, is Giving USA 2007, a yearbook of philanthropy published by Giving USA Foundation. The publication was researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

It turns out there’s much good to report; 2006 reached a new record in giving, with an estimated $295.02 billion being donated. What’s interesting is that this was a jump of $11.97 billion beyond 2005, a year marked by the extraordinary outpouring of disaster relief for Katrina’s victims.

Individuals in the aggregate, as always, gave the largest amount, a total of $222.89 billion, or about 75.6 percent. Incidentally, Mr. Buffet of Omaha bumped up the total by $1.9 billion. Ordinary folk gave, too. Of those households with incomes under $100,000 annually, 65 percent found a way to share. That tally is greater than the percentage of households that votes or reads a Sunday newspaper.

YOU MUST GIVE SOME TIME TO YOUR FELLOW MEN. EVEN IF IT’S A LITTLE THING, DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS—SOMETHING FOR WHICH YOU GET NO PAY BUT THE PRIVILEGE OF DOING IT.
—ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Cami Mattson, president and CEO of the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau, was convening with her fellow Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau members at the organization’s CEO Forum in Sun Valley. She was excitedly telling her colleagues about her upcoming trek to the Everest Base Camp in the Himalaya Mountains when one of them, Steve Moore, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, suggested she make the climb as a fund-raiser for the organization. He further suggested she line up sponsors who could donate either a nickel or a dime for every foot she climbed. As the trek started at 12,500 feet in Nepal and was to end at 17,500 at the camp, the maximum contribution would be $500.

“He was envisioning about four people,” Mattson recalls, but in the end she lined up some 40 CVBs and industry partners, including this publication, to participate. “I kept setting a goal, meeting it and then working against myself thinking ‘I’m going to go for $5,000.’ Then it was ‘I’m going to go for $10,000.’” In the end she raised $15,500 for the organization, but there was more. As she prepared, her friends became excited about her journey. “But I said to them, ‘You’re not affiliated with the tourism industry, why don’t you help my orphans in Africa?’”

A little backtracking: Mattson climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2004. While there, she was very much moved by the kindness and friendship of her guide and his wife, the aptly named Angel. It was Angel who inspired her to become associated with a local school in Arusha, Tanzania for 75 orphans. Many of these children had lost their parents to AIDS.

“I had this in my heart that I wanted to help,” she says. “I saw how much the locals who had nothing were helping, and the first year I got my cousin who teaches a kindergarten class in Boulder involved. The kids there were making soap out of goats’ milk and selling it to raise money for these kids who had become pen pals.”

Mattson’s friends came forward with sponsorships when she shared her new challenge and so she was able to raise an additional $4,000 for the school—an astounding amount in Arusha that has purchased the children warm meals and transportation to and from school every day. They also wear new uniforms now, “which represent dignity and pride for these kids,” says Mattson.

“Honestly, if I had more time before I left, I would have elevated the level with more friends,” she says, “but I’ll find something else to do. For me personally, I get great joy in making a tangible difference. I feel very fortunate to have the kind of education, training and family to support me in my life. I believe we have a responsibility to give where we can. It doesn’t have to be that huge; there are places everywhere. There are windows of opportunity; it’s what touches your heart. It makes us feel good.”

HE DOUBLY BENEFITS THE NEEDY WHO GIVES QUICKLY.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS

In 1981, Helen verDuin Palit was a volunteer running a soup kitchen in New Haven, Conn. She happened to notice that gallons of leftover potatoes were going to waste at a restaurant right across the street—the byproduct of the culinary rage for potato skins back then. Considering that the soup kitchen was struggling to get enough food to feed their clientele, she made the imaginative leap of connecting the collection of fresh food overage with the possibility of immediate delivery to hungry people.

 “I had no idea what this was going to become,” says Palit, “I just thought it was a solution for my soup kitchen. When I moved to New York the next year, I initially envisioned that doing something like this could serve maybe one-half of New York. I had a five-year plan to get into all five boroughs. Well, within an hour I was in three boroughs.”

And so began City Harvest, the precursor to America Harvest, Inc. with programs in 797 cities around the world. (Interestingly, 645 are in Germany.)

In 1995 a group of entertainment industry leaders invited Palit to set up a program in Los Angeles. This became Angel Harvest. For 365 days a year, 24/7, the organization’s fleet of refrigerated trucks picks up good-quality leftover food, which might be anything from chateaubriand and prosciutto on melon to good old baked lasagna and green beans.

The sources are caterers, special events like yours (around 3,900 annually in L.A.), corporations, service organizations, film/TV production studios, film premieres, retailers, wholesalers, markets, restaurants, schools, universities, churches and synagogues, all with good food to share. Drivers, who are trained in safe food handling by the health department, deliver 788 meals per day, free of charge, to 51 emergency feeding programs throughout Los Angeles County. This spring Angel Harvest served its 8-millionth meal.

But it’s not just food Palit is after. “I want to throw out a question to your readers: As meeting professionals, what are you concerned about that is good, that right now is going to waste at the end of the event, and who else do you think could use those items in the community?” She cites as examples unused hotel amenities, all those gift bags on the tables, the tote bags, the hats, the backpacks and so on. She provides a blueprint (see Blueprint to Help sidebar) for how you can collect these items and get them to those in need. “The shelters would absolutely love it!” she says, noting that she particularly favors battered-women’s shelters: “Battered women are my favorite ones, and they’re just starting out again, sometimes with children and usually through no fault of their own. The women leave home with absolutely nothing, and go out with little more than a little elevation in their self-esteem.”

Besides practicality, there’s room for joy, too. One night Palit was at a major event put on by Mary Micucci, founder of Along Came Mary Productions (profiled in our April issue’s “Wow Factor” story). Micucci is the Angel Harvest board vice president, as well. “There were these 10,000 golden roses,” says Palit, “and somehow Mary and I had a moment, and I was telling her how beautiful these roses were. She asked if we would like to have them, and I said yes.

“We packed the food first, and then we literally filled the truck with flowers. We have a lot of shelters for women, and when you come to a shelter at 2 a.m. there’s usually only one person awake. When they carried them in from the truck, the shelter person was just like a child, running around with happiness and saying, ‘Let’s put them on each of the tables for breakfast!’ They were all just like children.” Imagine how the women felt finding thousands of fragrant, sunlit roses the next morning.

“I love logistics,” Palit says. “Some people love puzzles, I love doing this. It’s not work to me; it’s an absolute delight.
Every one of your readers is going to go ‘Ah ha!’ when reading this. They’ve all been aware of something that could be passed along afterward.” Perhaps you can find a way to make that happen. (angelharvest.org)

A GIFT IN SEASON IS A DOUBLE FAVOR TO THE NEEDY.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nev. has annually contributed frozen turkeys and other items to numerous local holiday events. Among them is a community outreach food drive conducted by one woman in the city. Working out of her own home, Evelyn Mount distributes Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to needy families throughout the region.

Late last November, Atlantis delivered 100 turkeys and 20 hams to her for distribution, but the next night thieves stole the turkeys and other supplies from Ms. Mount. Atlantis stepped right up and not only replaced all 100 turkeys that were stolen but even contributed another 50 for good measure to help her feed the hungry in December. (atlantiscasino.com)

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE GIFT LIES IN ITS APPROPRIATENESS RATHER THAN IN ITS VALUE.
—CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER

You won’t be surprised to learn that a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World Resort is the most cherished dream of children who are battling life-threatening illnesses. The very first wish that Make-A-Wish Foundation granted in 1980 was, in fact, a trip to Disney.

Since then the organization has granted more than 50,000 wishes. Working with the foundation, as well as Give Kids the World, Disney provides thousands of trips each year to their two Magic Kingdoms, as well as sailings on Disney Cruise Line ships. Magic, indeed.

THE GREAT ART OF GIVING CONSISTS IN THIS: THE GIFT SHOULD COST VERY LITTLE AND YET BE GREATLY COVETED, SO THAT IT MAY BE THE MORE HIGHLY APPRECIATED.
—BALTASAR GRACIAN

At the end of last year, R.S. Owens gave a gift of rewards. The Chicago-based manufacturer of the Oscar, the Emmy and Smart Meetings’ Platinum Choice Award donated 48,000 minia-ture trophies to the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR).

This nonprofit organization donated these beautiful little golden trophies to more than 5,000 schools, teachers and students nationwide for use in honoring scholastic and sports achievements.

IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE GENEROUS WITH OUR HEARTS, OURSELVES, WE HAVE NO IDEA OF THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF LOVE’S REACH.
—MARGARET CHO

When organizing its annual meeting, The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) selects exemplary organizations in the host city for that year to benefit from the efforts of its Hospitality Helping Hands, sponsored by Experient. This enables meeting attendees to have a chance to take part in hands-on community service projects. In the case of the meeting in Toronto at the beginning of this year, PCMA’s members volunteered for a half day at the Scott Mission serving meals, boxing up food and sorting donated clothes. PCMA made a financial donation as well.

Likewise, during its Professional Education Conference–North America, held in New Orleans in late January, Meeting Professionals International’s Foundation presented a $5,000 scholarship to the University of New Orleans Hospitality and Tourism Department. The money is being used toward rebuilding student enrollment in New Orleans.

A few days later in New Orleans, team members from Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide gave 5,000 volunteer hours to the restoration of Popp’s Fountain in New Orleans City Park. With the goal of returning a prominent part of the beloved park to its pre-Katrina glory, the huge one-day project focused on restoring the landscaping surrounding the 70-year-old fountain, plus the repair and repainting of 2,700 feet of the ornamental iron fence. It is once again a glossy, elegant and proud sight to lift spirits in New Orleans.
    
YOU TRY TO GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU WANT YOURSELF.
—LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD

Recognizing the critical need of preserving locations of importance to all humanity, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced last November a new partnership with the World Heritage Alliance. The Alliance is a joint initiative of the United Nations Foundation and Expedia, Inc. It was created to promote conservation, sustainable tourism and economic development for communities located in and around World Heritage sites.

The program was begun at the Fairmont Mayakoba, an ecologically diverse resort located on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The property is near Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, an extensive tropical ecosystem that is home to 23 different archaeological sites of pre-Columbian Mayan culture. The idea is to encourage guests to visit these sites in the company of vetted local tour companies. Such visits enrich the guest experience by showcasing the destination’s heritage and culture in a sustainable manner. And these visits generate new revenues through ecologically-minded vendors for the community. By the end of last month, Fairmont had launched similar programs in conjunction with Canadian Rocky Mountains National Park, Alberta Region (The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, The Fairmont Banff Springs, The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge); Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Big Island (The Fairmont Orchid); and Redwood National Park, north of San Francisco (The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, The Fairmont San Francisco).

These are only a few examples of many throughout our industries of giving “what we want for ourselves,” as Bujold says, namely, healthy and protected neighbors, education for the most helpless to those on the brink of adulthood, the restoration of our communities from disaster or neglect, and the preservation of our planet’s remaining natural and cultural resources.

“You can do it; we all can do it, and it’s all good,” says Cami Mattson. “You can’t work forever. There are so many things that happen in our lives, unpredictable things. The only thing that we can work toward is a sense of self, and a lot of that sense of self comes from giving.” One thing you can predict: Whatever you do to help, it will be the crowning achievement of your best year.  

BLUEPRINT TO HELP

American Harvest founder Helen verDuin Palit gave us a blueprint for any of you who would like to help the local community after your own meetings.

• Start by calling the United Way office in your meeting locale, prior to your meeting dates.
  
  “Explain what you want to do,” she says. “Tell them that you have product, not food, and that it’s not time-sensitive, and also that it can go to a variety of programs. You’ll need to let them know what you think it might be—possibly some books, baseball caps, key rings and tote bags, for example. Also, give them a sense of whether this is a convention for 1,200 or 12,000 people.”
  
  
• Get the convention center and the hotel in partnership with your effort.
  
  “The two venues become your partners, so this might be a partnership between the Marriott and Staples Center with United Way. You want them both, as some [attendees] may not decide to donate until they’re packing their suitcases.
  
  “There should be a point person at both locations where everyone can bring their donations. We’re only talking about a couple of phone calls: informing United Way that these are the contacts at the hotel and the convention center and that the event will be over at such-and-such a time; informing the hotel and convention center to let them know that they will call this person at United Way to arrange for a pick-up.
  
  “Yes, there are going to be glitches, but after a couple of times, it will be so much easier. In some of the hotel rooms you get these little notices about being green—not changing the sheets and towels daily—so, already the hotel industry is totally into this kind of thinking.”
  
  
• Set up the drop-off points at the convention center and the hotel.
  
  “It’s not that difficult. Make each a place that is secured, make sure it has some signage that’s visible to everybody.
  You’ll find that participants can give a notebook or a backpack. They’ve already got so many at home; they’re not going to keep it. If they’ve finished that novel or mystery on the plane and they don’t want to take it back, it will be appreciated by someone else. It’s all tax deductible and you don’t need a receipt unless it’s valued at over $25. And you get to feel really good about it.”
  
  
• Start small.
  
  “You could try this at a small convention first and see how it works. Just because it doesn’t work in one city doesn’t mean it won’t work in another one. Afterward, you focus on all the things that didn’t work and try to figure out a better way. Maybe you’re asking with some irritation, ‘Why didn’t United Way call us back?’ So you learn to ask them to call you or fax you or e-mail you that they really got your message or the delivery. And later you’ll hear back that your message got stuck to a piece of paper, the cartridge ran out of ink, or whatever; it’s not that they weren’t interested. My business has always been logistics, but we have Murphy’s Law framed in each one of our offices reminding us that anything that can go wrong absolutely will. But don’t give up!”