from staff
Fifteen Hyatt employees swapped their suits for T-shirts, pencils for paintbrushes, and offices for a neighborhood, last week, as part of the hotel’s volunteer community outreach program. From 9 a.m.-3 p.m., employees ranging from senior managers to service staff participated in the first of a series of projects benefiting daniel, a local non-profit organization that supports troubled youth and their families.
The Hyatt is partnering with daniel over the next year to lend its support to Jacksonville youth through the Family Of Responsible and Caring Employees (FORCE) program, a nationwide Hyatt effort that encourages volunteer employee involvement and investment in local communities.
“Our work with daniel aligns perfectly with the FORCE project and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront’s service as a community partner, as daniel embraces the philosophy of FORCE by working to enhance the quality of life in our community,” said Dan King, general manager of the Hyatt. “The way daniel inspires youth and gives them hope for a future really touched our employees, who have been excited about this partnership for months.”
Employees painted eight rooms as well as the administration center of daniel’s transitional living facility located in its Independent Living Village on Parental Home Road in Jacksonville. This supervised, 12-unit efficiency apartment complex functions as a temporary home for homeless youth between the ages of 16 and 21 who are participants in daniel’s two-year Project Prepare program. With the help of counseling and other resources, youth enrolled in the program learn how to become socially and economically independent.