Delta Hotels and Resorts Launches Cross-Canada Summer Tour to Promote Volunteering

June 1, 2009 – Victoria – Delta Hotels and Resorts today kicks off the Delta Community Cruiser Tour, which will see six Delta employees – Community Ambassadors – embark on a cross-Canada journey to build stronger communities through various volunteer and fundraising activities. Travelling in the 2010 Toyota Prius, the Ambassadors will reach 33 communities in 10 provinces over a 60-day period. The tour starts at the Mile Zero marker of the Trans-Canada highway in Victoria, BC on June 1^st and ends in St. John’s, NL on July 30^th – a journey of 11,000 kilometres across the country.

“The Delta Community Cruiser Tour is the embodiment of our long-standing commitment to giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Hank Stackhouse, President and CEO, Delta Hotels and Resorts. “Now, more than ever, it’s important for us all to lend a helping hand in our communities, and I’m really pleased that this initiative will involve all of our employees across the country in supporting local charitable causes.”

Delta National Ambassador Brianna LePiane will lead the tour, and meet up with Regional Ambassadors in their hometowns to learn about what Delta is doing in local communities. The Ambassadors will work alongside the many charitable organizations and community groups supported by local Delta properties.

The Ambassadors will blog about their experiences as they visit more than 30 communities from coast to coast. Canadians can follow the tour online, at www.deltahotels.com/cruiser, where you can read the blogs, and check out pictures and videos of the tour. The website also provides details on how to get involved in local events in your community. You can also follow the Ambassadors through the Twitter ID at www.twitter.com/deltacruiser or join the tour on Facebook by searching ‘Delta Community Cruiser’.

Whether it is building a home for a family in need with Habitat for Humanity, hosting a food drive, planning a community car wash or a golf tournament fundraiser, the Delta Community Cruiser Tour demonstrates Delta’s commitment to building strong communities.

The Cruiser car demonstrates Delta’s commitment to the environment. By choosing to partner with Toyota, Delta Ambassadors will be traveling in the most fuel-efficient vehicle using 100 fewer litres of fuel and generate 240kgs less CO2 than any other hybrid traveling the same cross country distance.

“Toyota Canada Inc. is proud to be a part of the Delta Community Cruiser Tour”, said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director of Toyota Canada Inc. “As a proud Canadian corporate citizen, Toyota is committed to environmental stewardship and seeks to partner with like-minded organizations such as Delta. Our new 2010 Toyota Prius is the right vehicle that, through this coast to coast tour, will allow Canadians to see first-hand Toyota’s commitment to sustainable mobility.”

For more information please visit www.deltahotels.com/cruiser. For the full Delta Community Cruiser Tour schedule, please click here.

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About Delta Hotels and Resorts
 

A leading Canadian hotel management company, Delta Hotels and Resorts operates and franchises a diversified portfolio with 44 full-service, city centre and airport hotels and resorts under the Delta brand. Widely regarded as Canada’s “brand of choice” by guests and owners, Delta also distinguishes itself as an exemplary employer. It is the only hotel company to have been recognized for its sustained focus on business excellence by the prestigious National Quality Institute with three Canada Awards for Excellence, including the award program’s highest honour, the Order of Excellence (2007). The company also consistently ranks as one of the country’s best employers in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business annual “50 Best Employers” list (2001–2003, 2005–2009). As well, its Corporate Social Responsibility platform, Delta Helps, includes a chain-wide commitment to the communities it serves through a national partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, participation in the Hotel Association of Canada’s Green Key Eco-Rating program, and work with various other charitable groups.

For more information, visit http://www.deltahotels.com/.

About Toyota Canada

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks, and Toyota industrial equipment. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. TCI supports more than 300 Toyota, Lexus and Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers in Canada with services that include training, marketing and environmental and customer satisfaction initiatives. Toyota’s Canadian operations include automotive assembly plants in Cambridge, ON (Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Lexus RX350) and Woodstock, ON (Toyota RAV4), which together employ more than 5,700 Canadians. More information about Toyota is available at http://www.toyota.ca/.