PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RCI, the
worldwide leader in vacation exchange, celebrates its
10th consecutive year as title sponsor of the annual
RCI® Christel House Open International Charity Golf
Tournament. The tournament, held in over a dozen locations
around the world, aims to raise awareness and funds for Christel
House International, a charity committed to improving the lives of
impoverished children around the world.
"By providing care, education and character development,
Christel House has bettered the
lives of thousands of disadvantaged children," said Gordon Gurnik, president of RCI. "I'm grateful
to those who have lent a hand over the years to help make the event
a success and extremely proud that over the past 10 years, we've
helped Christel House raise
$5.5 million in support of its
mission to drive out poverty and improve the lives of future
generations."
The Open kicks off on Friday, April 8,
2016, in Scottsdale,
Arizona, and continues in additional sites across
North America and Europe through the spring. Now in its
14th year, the tournament is attended by thousands of
golfers, sponsors and volunteers from around the world who come
together to raise awareness and funds for Christel House
International. The nonprofit donates one hundred percent of the
proceeds from the event directly to benefit those that need it.
Christel DeHaan, founder and CEO
of Christel House International, established the charity in 1998.
The organization aims to help its more than 4,000 children around
the world break the cycle of poverty to realize their hopes and
dreams and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society.
It operates learning centers in the U.S., India, Mexico
and South Africa, and funds an
outreach program in Venezuela.
DeHaan also co-founded RCI in 1974.
"RCI's culture of giving back is something I much admire, and it
is touching the lives of thousands of Christel House children,
helping them cross the threshold of poverty to a new path of
self-sufficiency and human dignity," said DeHaan. "RCI has
supported the Christel House Open since its inception in 2003 and
this year marks their 10th year as the event's title
sponsor. I am enormously grateful for the generosity,
commitment and loyalty of this wonderful company. There is
only one RCI, and I still so love it."
Christel House and the RCI
Christel House Open are strongly supported by developers, resorts
and vendors in the timeshare industry. Last year's event raised
more than $670,000 to support
Christel House initiatives, and the
Christel House Open has totaled $7.9
million in net proceeds worldwide since the tournament's
inception. Christel House is one of
the three signature charities of Wishes by Wyndham, Wyndham
Worldwide's philanthropic program.
For more information, please visit christelhouse.org/events.
About RCI
RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation
exchange with approximately 4,300 affiliated resorts in more than
100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in
1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with
their vacation ownership experience. Today, through the RCI
Weeks® program, the week-for-week exchange system, and
the RCI Points® program, the industry's first global
points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation
options to its 3.8 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI's
luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection®
program, is the world's largest program of its kind with
approximately 200 affiliated properties either accessible for
exchange or under development on six continents. RCI is part of
Wyndham Destination Network and the Wyndham Worldwide family of
brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information, visit our media
center. RCI can also be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
About Christel House International
Established as a
public charter school in 2002, Christel House Academy (CHA) today
operates four schools in Indianapolis—CHA South, serving 641
at-risk students in grades K-12; CHA West currently serving 198
students from K-3, and two adult high schools, Christel House DORS
South with 268 students and Christel House DORS West with an
enrollment of 151 students. CHA provides a holistic human
development approach that focuses on building strong character to
complement each child's rigorous academic foundation. Through
its College & Careers program, CHA continues to support its
graduates through post-secondary education and job placement so
they become self-sufficient, contributing members of society.
Christel House Academy South was Indiana's first charter school to receive the
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform's "School to
Watch" designation. Additional awards include the Indiana
Achievement and Breakthrough Schools Awards. For more information,
please visit http://www.chacademy.org.
Photo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150820/259918LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rci-celebrates-10th-year-as-title-sponsor-of-the-christel-house-open-300248036.html
SOURCE RCI