The COVID-19 gloom has induced many to only look within themselves and pity their condition. Others, however, felt the stronger urge of solidarity, forgot their own plight and looked around to help others in need.
Insider Plus asked itself a question: What course did Corinthia and its family choose? Is a Corinthia Family Spirit just hype? Or is it real? This was the time to check. Insider Plus tunnelled its way through the Corinthia Family, searching for signs of solidarity. The result was exceptionally gratifying. We share with you a few examples.
Corinthia continued its sponsorship of Just a Drop (JAD), an international water-aid charity which aims to contribute positively to the reduction of child mortality caused by poor sanitation and unsafe water by actively reducing the numbers of people without access to clean water. Working with local partners at a grassroots level, JAD provides a local, clean water supply through appropriate engineering solutions to some of the poorest communities in the world.
This year Corinthia contributed towards a project in Cambodia. In the past years, it has supported JAD projects in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. These projects have brought life-changing clean water to over 45,000 children and families over the past four years.
St Patrick’s in Sliema, Malta, is an educational complex run by the Salesians of Don Bosco, made up of a boys’ secondary school and a residential home for minors. Corinthia presented the children in the Home with food and sweet hampers to enjoy during the Christmas festive season.
During the first months of the COVID pandemic, together with another company, Corinthia presented the Active Ageing Parliamentary Secretary with 22,000 high-quality N95 masks to be used in residences for the elderly and for persons with disability.
Corinthia also donated two truck loads full of frozen individually packed food to the Nuns at Christ the King Convent, Fleur de Lys, Malta and to the children at Ursuline Sisters, Gwardamangia. The food will be distributed to the children and to the nuns residing at the convent.
Staff from Radisson Blu St Julian’s family noticed that the Selmun Family Park in Mellieha, Malta, needed some tender loving care. The Selmun Family Park is a haven for members of the family to engage themselves in play, sports or even just meet in the fresh air and enjoy each other’s company at sure and safe distance. Radisson Blu St Julian’s gathered a team of staff members to smoothen and paint or varnish the fencing, benches, tables and other wooden items in the park, giving a facelift to the place and enticing more persons to safely visit and relax there.
Radisson Blu & Spa, Golden Sands team organised online activities to show care towards its staff, ranging from virtual coffees, virtual pre-dinner drinks, distributed Christmas hampers to all employees as well as organized a Breast Cancer Awareness raffle and several activities for this same cause.
The Marina Hotel Corinthia family concentrated on another good cause and offered donations to the Ursuline Sisters to help them run one of their residential homes, Angela House in Pietà, Malta. These nuns run another three other residential homes in Malta. These accommodate children in a healthy environment where they can grow holistically in a safe and professionally sustained ambience.
Staff at Corinthia St George’s Bay have donated money to St Patrick’s Salesians in Sliema, amongst other things to fund a new Youth Centre. But money was not enough; a number of staff members helped clear this new Youth Centre.
With the assistance of Heritage Malta and Malta Tourist Authority, staff also organised cultural tours for all employees to visit museums and other cultural places in Malta. This served in no small way to emphasise bonding. They also organised guided rambles for guests and employees to tour the Pembroke area close to the hotel, including the 17th century fortification and rugged coastline.
Following the lockdown in May 2020, Malta’s Corinthia Palace teamed up with the Food Bank Foundation and for four months donated 10 per cent of revenue generated from all home delivery orders made by Rickshaw, Corinthia Palace’s Asian food restaurant.
A further two food drop-offs at the Food Bank were carried out, providing dry goods from the main store (cereals, grains, tinned goods & paste).
To assist Maltese potato farmers who made a plea to use local potato crop following a sharp drop in export sales, Corinthia Palace decided to only serve hand-cut local fries to support this request.
QP Management staff also saw to several avenues of assistance. An initiative named ‘Charity begins at home’ collected €2,500 which were distributed to colleagues who suffered the most during the year 2020.
Over €400 worth of food donations were made to the Food Bank Lifeline Foundation. This foundation helps those who find themselves in a crisis, arising from situations like benefit delays, low income, homelessness, sickness or housing issues. This foundation believes no one should ever experience hunger, so they do their uttermost to ensure that those people living through a crisis have enough food in the short-term, until a more long-term solution is found.
QP also donated food, toys, books and clothes to the St Jean Antide Foundation at Christmas time. QP also extended the St Jean Antide Foundation services to staff, providing guidance on related matters and how they may be assisted if such services are needed. This was done in support of the employees’ well-being from an employer’s perspective. QP also assisted the Foundation with the pre-construction phase of the project. This foundation is the social care services arm of the Sisters of Charity of St Jeanne Antide Thouret. Its overarching aim is to provide professional support services to very vulnerable individuals and families who are suffering due to very difficult life circumstances and those who are sliding into poverty and are socially excluded. They offer family support work, support for mental breakthroughs, help in cases of domestic violence, and provide education
QP also delivered a series of webinars called ‘Leading though challenging times. Lessons learnt from a partial lockdown and how to implement a sustainable future’ It also collaborated with HSBC Foundation’s Water Programme and delivered presentations as part of a series hosted by HSBC for its employees and major clients. This programme, collaborated by the Energy and Water Agency, gave an insight on the wider sustainability strategies easily considered in a person’s daily activities and business operations.
QP is also actively supporting Richmond Foundation in the programme ‘Kids in Development’ (K.I.Ds) which works with children who have been severely affected by early trauma resulting in fragmented functioning. The objective is to enable each child to deal with their past traumas in a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment, and at the same time ensuring that as far as possible they maximise present and past positive experiences. QP is also actively supporting Richmond Foundation with the development of a facility to accommodate these children and run these programmes. It has developed the design and the procurement of the works. Physical work on site is expected to commence any time in the second half of 2021.
In London the Corinthia team launched two charitable campaigns: ‘Everyday Heroes’ and ‘NHS Nurse Heroes’. Both competitions were communicated across their social media channels. Followers could nominate anyone they felt was an unsung hero. These heroes were nominated via email with details of why they were so deserving. Corinthia offered them an afternoon tea voucher for the hero and their guests of choice. The nurse initiative, launched on 12th May, International Nurses’ Day, was similar; the nurses nominated were offered a spa treatment plus spa access for them and a friend.
The Corinthia team in London raised funds prior to Covid lockdown for the Sepsis Trust following the loss of one of their colleagues due to septicemia.
At Prague, The Corinthia team have helped out a local Senior Citizens’ Home at the start of the Covid crisis. The caring staff in that home had all volunteered to stay with their seniors during this troubling time to be on hand and provide care immediately. Corinthia Prague generously supplied the beds and bedding so the caring staff could have a comfortable stay during this time. All Corinthia staff rallied and went to the hotel to prepare the beds and have them transported to the Home.
In a time of uncertainty and anxiety Corinthia Prague has contributed to and supported the local community. When asked by a member of the staff if they could help out in a senior citizen house, caring for the aged with Alzheimer’s disease, Corinthia Prague staff were only too proud to help.
In Budapest, Corinthia’s family hosted and part sponsored the Robert Burns International Foundation for their Burns Night. The proceeds for this event go to sick and underprivileged children in Hungary through the purchase of equipment in medical facilities. In collaboration with the Red Cross, staff also organised a used-clothes collection for people in need. They also collected financial contributions from guests of the hotel for Csodalampa Foundation, helping terminally ill children to fulfil their dreams. Corinthia Budapest has also donated several vouchers to be raffled in CSR events
Joining this generous outpour, in St Petersburg, the team donated Christmas gifts to children at SOS Children’s Villages, a charity organisation which they have been supporting for many years. This international organisation helps children who cannot live with their families of origin, to grow up in a loving home. Almost across the globe, they offer alternative care, or strengthen the families. This organisation is committed to safeguard children, and reports child safety concerns. It also speaks out for children’s rights and teaches and trains these children, opening new doors for their future. In cases of emergency this organisation is also present with much needed assistance.
In previous years, each December, Corinthia St Petersburg hosted a charity event for these children with a creative master-class, sweet treats, and music. Owing to covid restrictions, it was impossible to organise events for children in Christmas 2020, so the many gifts were delivered to kids at the SOS Children’s Village in Pushkin City directly. Food and many goodies were delivered to each and every house with kids and families in the Village.
Corinthia St Petersburg also joined several city charity organisations, donating several items such as homeware, decoration, garlands and New Year adornments.
And that is not all: they donated various items to religious congregations, including the Sisters of Mother Teresa Religious Care Service, and St Petersburg Church of Our Lady of Lourdes . They also donated several items to the Dobrodel Charity Organisation, which distributed them to the people in need, large families and vulnerable persons, and also sent several sets of tableware to the House of War Veterans on Vyazovaya Street.
In spite of the serious difficulties and hurdles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Corinthia’s pulsating heart has indeed left its mark in many who are in need.
