Sheraton Denver Downtown Announces Expanded Education Partnership with Excelsior Youth Center

In Honor of Clinton Global Initiative, Sheraton Denver Hosted Clinton Global Initiative's Americas Meeting June 23-25, 2014

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. June 30, 2014

Denver, CO - June 30, 2014 - In honor of the Clinton Global Initiative, and in alignment with Starwood's Global Citizenship focus on workforce development, The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is expanding the hotel's current partnership with Excelsior Youth Center to include a culinary and arts education shadowing program that will provide the opportunity for Excelsior students to experience a day in the life of an artist, whether the artist is a singer or a chef.

The mission of the Clinton Global Initiative is to turn ideas into action. The initiative was started in 2005 as part of the Clinton Foundation and convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a corporate member of the Clinton Global Initiative.

As part of the Starwood Cares for the Community program, Starwood's global initiative to support local volunteerism, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel has built a collaborative relationship with the Excelsior Youth Center to engage their associates year round in supporting community needs. Earlier this year, Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel began a partnership with Excelsior Youth Center, a facility that provides a continuum of residential and community based services, including education, medical and mental health care to more than 180 girls, ages 11-18. These girls, for various reasons, may no longer be able to live with their own families. To date, associates at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel have collected gently used jeans, tee shirts, cosmetics, robes, pajamas and toiletries for Excelsior Youth Center. Sheraton Denver employees also plan to paint and refurbish one of the living areas as part of an upcoming “Done in a Day” event.

“As host of the Clinton Global Initiative Americas Meeting, Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is committing to helping to educate young women in the community,” said Tony Dunn, general manager of the hotel and Excelsior Youth Center board member. “Helping to develop future careers is important to CGI and to Starwood, and we believe that our expanded job shadow program may help offer insight into some unique careers.”

The Sheraton's expanded education and outreach program for Excelsior begins on July 22, during the annual Girlfriends Day at the Opera, when several of the Excelsior Youth Center students interested in theater and music will visit historic Central City, Colorado. Excelsior students will attend apprentice artist classes in disciplines such as stage movement and voice, attend a luncheon with event sponsors and attend a pre-opera notes lecture followed by Central City Opera's matinee performance of The Marriage of Figaro. This program is sponsored by volunteers from Excelsior Youth Center, Central City Opera Guild and the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel.

The Sheraton's education and outreach program for Excelsior continues in the fall with a job shadow program held in the hotel's banquet kitchen. Students interested in a food and beverage career will work with hotel culinarians to help with large scale social catering events such as the annual Susan G. Komen Pink Tie Affair in November, the Fr. Woody Christmas Party in December and the Triumphant Woman Gala for the Excelsior Youth Center in February. In addition, students interested in heart-of-the house careers will spend a Saturday in the housekeeping department at Colorado's largest hotel.

Central City Opera is the second oldest annual professional opera festival in the country and the fifth-oldest opera company. In addition to the summer festival, Central City Opera's Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program offers career-entry opera training to young artists with career management classes as well as main stage rehearsal and performance opportunities. A steward of historic preservation, the company also maintains the Central City Opera House and 30 other Victorian-era properties which serve as performance and rehearsal venues and house festival staff each summer.

The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is Colorado's largest hotel with 1,231 guest rooms, 82 suites and more than 133,000-square-feet of meeting space with six restaurants, a 24-hr Sheraton Fitness by Core Performance facility, Link@Sheraton business center and heated rooftop pool. Located on the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall in the heart of downtown Denver, the hotel is minutes from the Colorado Convention Center. Named one of the top 15 meetings hotels in the U.S., it serves groups of 10 to 3,000 with custom and innovative services, advanced technology, and a green meetings program. The property is owned by Chartres Lodging Group and managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.sheratondenverdowntown.com.