Originally Published by Hilton.
The second annual Hilton Thrive Sabbatical winners have been announced and are set to embark on journeys around the globe. As part of the Thrive Sabbatical: Give a Dream, Live a Dream program, 10 Hilton Team Members will receive four weeks of paid sabbatical time to pursue a passion that will benefit others.
Over the coming year, Team Members will take the following journeys to either give a dream through philanthropic or volunteer activity or live a dream by exploring a personal goal such as a new interest or meaningful adventure:
- Bronwyn Hartney, Sales Manager at Hilton Cobham, will travel to Abu Dhabi for the 2019 Special Olympics to assist with speed and strength training for athletes.
- Jandira Ramirez, Group Rooms Coordinator at Hilton Lima, will partner with an organization called “Build Abroad” to build houses and facilities in Guatemala.
- Angel Hu, Restaurant and Bar Manager at Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon, will partner with the non-profit organization RADION International in Thailand to provide community development and crisis relief to poor communities.
- Minoli Senanayake, Assistant PR Manager at Hilton Colombo Residences, has set a goal of spending at least 150 hours working in a vocational program for special needs children.
- Geri Wessels, Development Director at Hilton Corporate, will teach and build schools in rural South Africa with The African Wildlife Fund’s Classroom Africa program.
- Samantha Wood, HRCC Luxury Desk Coordinator, will volunteer and collect supplies for Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
- Emille Artigas, Marketing and PR Manager at Hilton Doha, will organize an underwater dive trip with Project Aware Dive Against Debris to survey and clean up ocean debris.
- Mira Buniel Macud, Administrative Assistant at the Conrad Dubai, will learn American Sign Language and work with students at the Philippine School for the Deaf.
- Tim Sachse, Concierge at Hilton Berlin, will take his wheelchair-bound father on an RV excursion through the countryside of Sweden and Norway.
- Gethro Jolimeau, Front Office for The Reach Waldorf Astoria, will pursue his dream of getting a soccer coaching license so he can coach and mentor students.
These individuals will follow in the footsteps of the inaugural group of Thrive Sabbatical winners. “The opportunity to help others and join the fight against negative stereotypes has completely changed my life,” said Hilton Team Member Holly Randall who spent her Thrive Sabbatical volunteering with a charity supporting special needs children in Tanzania. “I desperately fought to get my confidence and motivation back after my diagnosis and it was a big hurdle, but my Thrive Sabbatical enabled me to excel.” Be inspired by Holly’s journey here.
Additional Thrive Sabbatical stories include: Rachael who set up temporary eye glass clinics in rural Mexico, Ingy who helped women build their professional skills in pursuit of new job opportunities in Egypt, Patrizia who fulfilled a lifelong dream to learn to sail in Italy, Frank who volunteered to help children in impoverished communities in the Philippines, Carlos who traveled to Scotland, England and France to learn about their spirits and wines to expand his bartending knowledge, Wilisoni who helped make education accessible for children in Fiji and Nicola who provided bikes to students in Uganda to make it easier to get to school.
The four-week paid sabbatical also includes an allowance of $5,000 USD and a travel camera to document this life-altering journey. Additionally, 10 runners up will receive a donation of up to $1,000 in their name to a charity of their choice. The program is open to both hotel and corporate Team Members and is part of Hilton’s Thrive@Hilton an enterprise-wide commitment to creating a great workplace to work for all, one that enables growth and development, balanced with time to focus on body, mind and spirit.
