FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Tom Schroeder
Director of PR and Communications
Baymont Inns & Suites
tomschroeder@baymontinns.com
Tel: 414/905-1149
Waterford, Wis., Baymont Inn & Suites gives back to the local community by donating pool and hot tub time to several special needs students;
Teachers, parents and the hotel’s GM say the endeavor is therapeutic for the children, while warming the hearts of hotel staff and guests alike
WATERFORD, WIS. — (JUNE 14, 2004) — Staff and guests alike at a Baymont Inn & Suites in Waterford, Wis., are realizing firsthand that it truly is in giving that one receives.
For the past two years, the 52-room Baymont Inn & Suites in Waterford has donated pool and hot tub time to special needs students at a local high school in search of a fun field trip. Kari Salewsky, general manager at the hotel, said the community service endeavors are as therapeutic for hotel staff and guests as they are for several youths who she said seem to naturally embrace adversity and diversity.
“Last year, when a Waterford High School special education teacher called us and asked if they could pay for pool time, we knew it was our time to give…and give freely,“ Salewsky said.
“We love having the kids here. We’re open to having them more if they so desire. These kids are truly special, teaching us and our guests the joy of living large and loving freely.”
Giving Back
Just last week, as the students were wrapping up their school year, a group of four special needs students attending Waterford High School planned one last swim outing at the Waterford Baymont Inn & Suites’ aquatic center. The children swam and played in the pool, and relaxed and limbered up in the hot tub.
Four Waterford High School staff members, two students, a parent and a lifeguard help make the field trips safe for students and seamless for hotel guests and staff, many who had attended the school and have a special place in their hearts for their alma mater and these kids.
Alicia Troxell, a special needs teacher at Waterford High School, said the school tries to take the students on a community-based outing once a month.
“The good people at Baymont Inn & Suites open their doors and arms to us,” Troxell said. “When we arrive, the hotel staff greets us with great big smiles and midwestern hospitality. They provide a guestroom near the pool for us to change into our swimwear and set up a conference room with refreshments.
“We really couldn’t ask for anything more, and they refuse to take any money,” Troxell said. “They say that it is their pleasure to have such special guests — and I really believe them because you see it in their eyes and smiles as well as their words and actions.”
Salewsky says the relationship has worked out so well that the Baymont Inn & Suites will continue providing these special Waterford High School students with a place to swim for field trips next year well.
“I don’t know what the special needs program schedule looks like, but we’re here for these kids 24/7. We would love to expand our relationship in the coming months and years,” she said.
Lessons in Living & Loving
Salewsky grew up surrounded by special needs kids. Her grandmother was a special needs teacher who now volunteers at a local ranch that accommodates special needs children. Salewsky’s mother followed suit and became a special needs teacher. Now, the third generation is holding a special needs class of sorts at the Waterford Baymont Inns & Suites.
“My grandparents took in a young adult with Down syndrome for nearly 20 years, and he was as much a part of our family as anyone,” Salewsky said. “There is no doubt that our time with Earl enriched the lives of each of us, our family unit and our local community as a whole. Earl taught us how to live and love freely, which is something you can’t put a price tag on.
“Regardless of the specific disability, each of these kids has something special to teach us,” she said. “Whether it’s a story of overcoming adversity with hard work and teamwork, or one of smiling, laughing and spreading sunshine wherever one goes no matter the circumstances, it’s a heroic story that we at Baymont Inns & Suites feel honored and privileged to be a part of.”
Troxell said a pool day at the Waterford Baymont Inn & Suites is about fun and bonding, but the benefits of aquatic therapy are clear. The parents of quite a few students note that physical activity and exercise in a partial weightless environment helps limber their children’s muscles and reduce joint pain and arthritis.
“Seeing these kids reinvigorates our staff and guests as well, “ Salewsky added. “So many people tell us how much they appreciate having these children around and seeing that businesses don’t have to be all business, all of the time. In the end, it’s about living and giving.”
About Baymont Inns & Suites
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Baymont Inns & Suites continues to be a leading brand in the mid-market segment. The brand offers a 110% Satisfaction Guarantee, and has a frequent-stay program — Guest Ovations® — with more than 345,000 members and growing. Under the 110% Satisfaction Guarantee, if any guest is dissatisfied with any aspect of his or her night’s stay and the hotel is unable to resolve the problem, the guest will receive the night’s stay for free, plus a coupon for a 10-percent discount on his or her next stay at any Baymont Inns & Suites. Baymont’s Ovations Rooms offer upscale amenities not found in competitive mid-market hotels, such as plush pillow-top mattresses, down pillows, fluffy towels, branded bath products and free in-room bottled water. The rooms also feature an enhanced workstation with an executive-sized desk, comfortable ergonomic chair and task lamp with a data port.
Baymont Inns & Suites, which operates or franchises 178 locations in 32 states nationwide, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS). For more information on Marcus, visit www.marcuscorp.com. For more information on Baymont Inns & Suites or to make a reservation, visit www.baymontinns.com or call 1-877-BAYMONT (1-877-229-6668).
