PHOENIX å—Each year there are more than 800,000 children reported missing in the United States, thatå‘s one every 40 seconds. Best Western International, THE WORLD`S LARGEST HOTEL CHAINå® is proud to announce that it is taking proactive steps to help reunite missing children with their families. Through the brandå‘s partnership as the national response partner for the National Child ID Program, the lodging giant will provide inkless fingerprint kits to families throughout the country.
Best Western will distribute kits in communities where a child abduction has occurred. The distribution will be triggered by the FBI’s call to action and determination that kits should go into a community.
“Nothing is more important than helping protect our children and as the exclusive hotel sponsor for the American Football Coaches Association’s National Child Identification Program we felt we could do some good things to help in communities where our hotel owners and employees work and live,” explains Bob Gilbert, vice president Worldwide Marketing and Sales for Best Western International. “This is just of the beginning of what we expect to be a long relationship that will help keep our kids safe.”
This partnership is part of Best Western’s commitment to help around the globe through Best Western for a Better World?. In addition to the numerous community service activities the brand facilitates each year, there will be a tremendous amount of effort directed solely to getting kids fingerprinted. This includes a day of fingerprinting for 10,000 kids in the Best Western’s headquarter city of Phoenix as well as 10,000 Las Vegas area school children, the site of this year’s Best Western Convention. Best Western is also sponsoring the distribution of kits at a number of professional and college football games this year.
People throughout the country can also help every time they book a reservation with Best Western. By making a room reservation through a special toll-free number, 1-866-664-KIDS, and mentioning code 00150660, 10 percent of the room rate will go to help the National Child Identification Program and get more children fingerprinted.
Best Western International is THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN® with more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries. It is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its members. Reservations for Best Western International hotels are available through 800-WESTERN or online at www.bestwestern.com.
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