Giving back to its community is a pillar of Discover The Palm Beaches’ (DTPB) mission – and this holiday season, the team is going beyond the destination to support those in need. DTPB, the official tourism marketing organization for Palm Beach County, has teamed up with My Very Own Blanket and hotels and meeting planners across the nation to make personalized blankets for foster children, with the goal of donating more than 60 through December 22.
The initiative involves a series of virtual events, during which DTPB’s Group Sales and Destination Services team will lead participating hotel partners and meeting planners through the blanket-making process. In advance of the events, hosted via Zoom, DTPB provided volunteers with a fleece blanket, pair of scissors, fabric pen, instructions, a prepaid shipping label addressed to a foster care program in their area and a hot chocolate bomb made from a local chocolatier. Each blanket includes a tag that allows makers to write a short, encouraging note for the receiving child.
DTPB will kick off each event by sharing a brief overview of the destination and local organizations making positive impacts throughout the community. Among the hotels involved are Boca Raton Resort and Club, Eau Palm Beach and Hilton West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Convention Center’s connected hotel. Meeting planners hail from Atlanta, Washington D.C. and the following states: Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
“We are humbled to partner with My Very Own Blanket and continue to make a positive impact in our community and throughout the country, with the support of our passionate, likeminded network of clients and partners,” said Kelly Cavers, DTPB’s senior vice president, Group Sales and Destination Services. “Human connection is more important now than ever, and that’s exactly what these thoughtfully, custom-made blankets symbolize: a sense of comfort, security and support.”
Volunteers are encouraged to spread word about the organization’s cause on social media, by sharing a photo of their completed blanket using the hashtags #ThePalmBeachesGiveBack and #ThePalmBeaches. The event series represents the myriad ways DTPB’s Group Sales and Destination Services team is assisting clients with re-engineered programs and tools that support virtual, hybrid and in-person events.
In addition to the My Very Own Blanket initiative, DTPB continues to serve its local community by leading toy drives for Friends of Foster Children, participating in the St. Anne’s Pantry food drive and volunteering with Feeding South Florida, an ongoing effort that began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
DTPB’s year-round commitment to giving back will continue in January, during PCMA’s annual Convening Leaders conference. Once again, the team will join forces with The Palm Beaches-based Place of Hope to help put an end to human trafficking. More details of this fundraiser, as well as more volunteer activities, will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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