Marriott International Inc. invited Any Soldier Inc. to be a part of their "Travel Partners Conference" and "Spirit to Serve" program on June 3rd, 2005 in San Francisco, California.
Approximately 250 business partners of Marriott International Inc. attended a presentation by Marty Horn, then had the opportunity to either take a break or actually do something to support the soldiers.
After the talk, everyone walked out to get the 250+ boxes Marriott had ready (I didn't see anyone headed out for a break!), fill out the customs forms, then on to a large room where the Marriott supplied tons of stuff to put in the boxes. The Marroitt even coordinated to have a HMMWV and some California National Guardsmen there for the folks to meet.
The folks were then given the opportunity to stack their boxes so they could go shopping and get whatever they wanted to add to the boxes later. Most of them did just that.
The warmth and sincerity of the Marriott staff, American Airlines representatives, and the other participants was stunning. There were a few tears shed that day, and a LOT of smiles. |
