Tourism Cares Rolls up Sleeves for San Francisco Bay

Hundreds of Volunteers Headed for Angel Island To Help Cash-Strapped State Park

Tourism Cares Rolls up Sleeves for San Francisco Bay

Canton, Mass. (March 24, 2010)- Tourism Cares, the premier charity in the travel industry dedicated to preserving the travel experience, is targeting Angel Island State Park for a massive, work-day volunteer event. Hundreds of volunteers will gather together on June 4 on Angel Island to roll up their sleeves and come to the assistance of California State Parks, a system hit hard in recent years by a sagging economy and budget shortfalls.

Angel Island, in the midst of the San Francisco Bay, is one of California’s most iconic tourism sites. It has been selected for the eighth annual Tourism Cares for America volunteer event. This important California State Park, which has been hit by budget shortages, will benefit greatly from this public-private partnership from the travel industry by improving the condition of various recreational and historic areas across the island.

“This is the time when tourism destinations like Angel Island need us the most,” said Bruce Beckham, executive director, Tourism Cares. “Tough budget times are the best times for our people to step up and provide their substantial resources in manpower to help keep America’s tourism industry strong and support California’s economic recovery. It’s a gratifying event that makes a lasting impact.”

The Tourism Cares for America project typically brings together over 300 travel and tourism industry leaders from all over the United States, Canada and other destinations around the world to restore historic sites in need of care and rejuvenation. Annually, these volunteers will roll up their sleeves and work side by side with other travel professionals to make a lasting impact. In a single day, Tourism Cares for America will bring more than $50,000 worth of free labor, helping California State Park staff to accomplish tasks that would take years to complete. Registration is now open to members of the travel and tourism industry at www.tourismcares.org/tourism-cares-for-san-francisco-bay-2010.

Angel Island is a picturesque California State Park with magnificent views of the San Francisco skyline, Oakland, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Its rich and diverse history dates back nearly 3,000 years, beginning as hunting and fishing grounds for the ancient Miwok Indians. Since then, it has served as a Civil War encampment, an immigration station for thousands of Chinese immigrants from 1910-1940, a discharge depot and recruitment center during WWI, an embarkation station and POW camp during WWII and a Nike missile base from 1955-1962. Today, the island is visited by thousands of people who go to experience its history and enjoy its recreational facilities.

Some of the largest and most prominent tourism associations such as: NTA, Student Youth Travel Association, US Travel Association, United States Tour Operators Association, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the California Travel & Tourism Commission have come forward as sponsors, as well as private corporations and individuals including: PIER 39, Amadeus, Marriott International, Wyndham, MaCher, Dan Dipert Tours, Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, Save America’s Treasures, Angel Island Company, Blue & Gold Fleet, MTR Western and Edelman.

Tourism Cares is a 501c(3) non-profit public charity that benefits society by preserving the travel experience for future generations by awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide; by presenting academic and service-learning scholarships to students of hospitality and tourism; and by organizing volunteer efforts to restore tourism-related sites in need of care and rejuvenation. For additional information about Tourism Cares, visit www.tourismcares.org.