Fort Lee Hotel’s ‘Care Committee’ Gives Back to Community, Helps 'Clean the World'

Employees at Fort Lee’s by Hilton are participating in a new initiative by Hilton Global called the "Care Committee," in which members take part in green projects and programs aimed at giving back to the community.

CARE is an acronym for “creating a rewarding experience,” said DoubleTree HR manager Laura Frank of the 11-member committee comprised of line-level, hourly employees who work directly with guests each day—not necessarily management.

“It basically means creating a rewarding experience for our guests, our community and our employees,” Frank said. “Hilton likes to have one employee from every single department.”

At the end of March, the hotel is participating in a program called Clean the World, thanks to the local Care Committee. Frank said that in the hotel industry, the biggest waste is soap, and that the non-profit Clean the World organization can help put that unused soap, shampoo and conditioner to good use.

After guests stay overnight at the hotel and shower in the morning, “we obviously have to throw the bar of soap away,” Frank explained.

“This program actually goes to hotels, and they encourage us to have the housekeepers use these bins they provide,” she said. “We’ll take the bar soap in one bag, shampoo and conditioner in another bag, separate it into the bins, and then we send them back out.”

According to Frank, Clean the World then collects and sanitizes the soap and brings it to Africa to benefit children.

“Forty-thousand children a year die from bad hygiene,” Frank said. “I’ve never worked in hospitality before, so when I heard about it, I thought that’s really a good idea.”

In Fort Lee, the DoubleTree’s Care Committee also has plans to work with children at to plant trees for Arbor Day, which takes place this year on April 27.

“They really encourage us to go out into the community and do community service projects, and one of those community service projects is ‘Cares for Kids’—teaching kids to care,” said Frank, who has been with the DoubleTree since October.

Every Hilton Global hotel has a Care Committee, and all of these programs, including a charity walk for people living with AIDS planned for May in Ridgewood, come as a result of the new initiative, Frank said, adding that more local community service and green initiatives will be planned for later in the year.

“[Care Committee members] have a hand in everything; they have a say in everything, which is really great,” Frank said. “We like to give back, and yes, it’s part of what we have to do. But it’s a nice feeling to give back to our community.”