Marriott International Takes Spirit to Serve into the Communities
Each year, Marriott International associates around the world dedicate a day to serving their local communities, a day aptly named Spirit to Serve Our Communities Day (STSOC Day). STSOC Day is a global day of service, where associates come together to celebrate Marriott’s long-standing commitment to taking care of the communities where they do business. The 2018 STSOC Day was record breaking – over 2,700 associates volunteered at 51 sites throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, resulting in 11,000 hours of volunteer time.
While this is an annual celebration, 2018 bears more significance as the 20th annual year of service. In addition to this milestone year, it’s the first year STSOC Day activities supported Marriott’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals as well as the recently launched sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good In Every Direction. Serve 360’s priority areas, or “coordinates,” are: Nurture Our World, Sustain Responsible Operations, Empower Through Opportunity, and Welcome All & Advance Human Rights. Whether associates were investing in the natural capital of the local parks or supporting an organization that provides opportunity to underserved communities, this year’s activities supported each coordinate.
Highlights of activities include:
– Preserved 12 public parks in Virginia and Maryland by removing invasive plant species, maintaining nature trails, and removing trash and waste from the park grounds.
– Supported organizations in the fight against hunger and food insecurity by assembling 2,000 bags of trail mix for Martha’s Table, serving lunch to constituents at Shepherds Table, DC Central Kitchen, and So Others Might Eat as well as sorting food items at Manna Food Center, Capital Area Food Bank, Food for Others, and Food & Friends.
– Built a playground with KaBOOM! at Park Montgomery, and separately supported a Habitat for Humanity Build in Maryland.
During the activities, Marriott associates used #SpiritToServe and #Serve360 as they shared stories and pictures of their projects on social media. Additional photos are available on Marriott International’s corporate Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
