The Box Appeal, a charity initiative, was launched on 15 August to reach out to those not as privileged as us. It is now catching momentum as people have started returning the filled boxes to the two hotels that initiated the campaign – Radisson Blu and Park Inn.

Within two weeks of its launch, a thousand boxes were picked up from one of the hotels or City Centre Muscat and Qurum City Centre by individuals, groups and schools. Two such enthusiastic participants were the Indian School, Al Ghubra and Women’s Guild in Oman.

The students of Indian School, Al Ghubra, especially the junior classes, went all out to fill the small boxes with a list of hygiene necessities such as toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, towel and soaps among others - individually as well as collectively. Within two weeks, they filled up and returned 175 boxes. The Women’s Guild in Oman organised one of their coffee meetings at the Radisson Blu Hotel and dedicated it to the Box Appeal collecting about 40 boxes. The Group provides a platform for multinational women to interact with each other and organises a varied programme of speakers and events as well as raise funds for charitable purposes.

“It is fantastic to see the local community getting behind the Box Appeal and we are particularly proud to see so many young students of the Indian School in Al Ghubra getting excited about this charity campaign. Now that such a large number of boxes have been picked up, our focus will shift slightly towards collecting boxes and we encourage everyone to fill the box and bring it back to one of the hotels,” said Michael Jacobi, General Manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Muscat.

“The Box Appeal has gathered a lot of support over the past few weeks. Going by the response and requests for boxes that we are continuing to receive, we are optimistic of collecting more than we had anticipated before the campaign concludes,” added Rabih Zein, General Manager, Park Inn Muscat.

The Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels in Oman have partnered with local charity Dar Al Atta who will help distribute the boxes at the end of the campaign to families and individuals most in need. Other partners include Muscat City Centre and Qurum City Centre who have provided space for the convenience of the visitors to collect and drop off the boxes; Mazoon Printing, Publishing and Advertising who supplied the boxes and collaterals to promote the campaign; Creative Communications Advertising and Marketing who are helping raise awareness of the campaign; radio station Merge 104.8 who are promoting the campaign on air by encouraging listeners to participate, and DHL Express, who have committed to providing the logistics and overseeing the delivery of the boxes during and at the end of the campaign.

The appeal was originally launched by the Radisson Blu Dubai Media City. The Box Appeal’s growing success in Dubai has meant that in 2011 the decision was made to take the campaign region wide – to Bahrain, Cairo and Oman. Due to the growth of the campaign, the appeal has been given a new look by UAE based design agency North55 creating a new logo and providing a distinctive identity.

The first campaign in 2007 was such a success that in the following years Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in Abu Dhabi Yas Island also joined in. Over the four years the appeal has run, more than 20,000 boxes have been donated, the equivalent of 2 million AED. For additional information, please visit facebook.com/theboxappeal

Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels are managed by Rezidor Hotel Group. Rezidor was one of the first international hotel groups to implement a companywide initiative focusing on health and safety for guests and employees, on respect for social and ethical issues within the company, and on a reduced negative impact on the environment. In 2010 and 2011, Rezidor was named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.

NOTE TO THE EDITORS:

Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts (formerly Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts), part of The Rezidor Hotel Group, offers first class service providing guests with a contemporary, upscale hospitality experience. Radisson Blu has received numerous awards for Best Hotel Chain and is renowned for its "Yes I Can!" spirit of service and the ‘100% Guest Satisfaction Guarantee’. September 2005 saw the roll out of a free broadband service across the portfolio - the first international hotel chain to offer this service. Radisson Blu currently includes more than 250 hotels either in operation or under development, with more than 59,000 rooms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
For more information, visit www.radissonblu.com

Park Inn by Radisson is a fresh and innovative upcoming mid-market hotel brand – global in outlook, national in scale and local in operation. The hotel brand prides itself ‘on mastering the essentials’ to deliver a great affordable hotel experience within its class. Rooms are functional, comfortable, practical and most importantly clean and well maintained. Park Inn currently has almost 140 hotels in operation and under development, with more than 26,000 rooms across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
For more information, visit www.parkinn.com

About the supporters of The Box Appeal:
Dar Al Atta is a Muscat based non-profit voluntary organisation set up in 2002. It endeavours to improve the lives of those less fortunate both in the capital area and beyond. The group periodically organises fundraising events to enrich the lives of others.

DHL Express, the world’s leading express company, has been a pioneer in the Middle East logistics industry over the last 30 years through its innovation, service excellence and commitment to providing customers with superior logistics solutions.

Merge 104.8 is Oman’s newest radio station and a part of SABCO Media.   Take the rich Omani history and merge it with its modern society. The result you get is Merge 104.8 – the best of both.

Muscat City Centre first opened in October 2001 and houses over 42 reputed international brands, a first-of-its-kind dedicated flyover and a spacious multi-level parking - all making it the largest and most popular mall in Oman.

Mazoon Printing, Publishing & Advertising, a part of the Towell Group, is the premium printing company in Oman established more than 38 years ago. A 1.5 million Euro upgrade in equipment has placed Mazoon at the cutting edge of printing technology that has reaffirmed Mazoon as the #1 printing house in Oman, in both turn-over and prestige.

Creative Communications Advertising and Marketing LLC is an Oman-based communications agency with a team of professionals. The company offers strategic consultancy to clients in PR, marketing and advertising, providing results that are significant and measurable.