The educational organization with programs in six countries will again benefit from Perspective Magazine’s timeshare and fractional networking expo.

Perspective Magazine, the global multi-media information provider for the timeshare and fractional industry, is pleased to announce that educational organization Christel House will again be the Charity of Choice for the Second Annual Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2012 – A Global Meeting of Minds.

“We are honored that Paul and Sharon Mattimoe have again selected Christel House as the Charity of Choice for the 2012 GNEX conference.  By supporting Christel House during the conference, in their publications and through their sponsorship of the Christel House Open, the Mattimoes set an extraordinary example for the timeshare industry of caring, sharing, and making the world a better place,” said Christel House Founder, Christel DeHaan.

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The educational organization with programs in six countries will be involved in Perspective Magazine’s timeshare and fractional networking expo.

Perspective Magazine, the global multi-media information provider for the timeshare and fractional industry, is pleased to announce that educational organization Christel House International will be the Charity of Choice for the First Annual Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2011.

“Perspective International has been an avid supporter of Christel House for several years now and we are very pleased we could use GNEX 2011 to raise more money and awareness of the extraordinary work they do in some of the most poverty-stricken areas of the world,” said Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Magazine.

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RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), and Christel House International today announced that RCI will return for the fifth year as the Title Sponsor of the RCI^® Christel House Open^® International Charity Golf Tournament.

Now in its ninth year, the global tournament will kick off on Monday, June 13, 2011, and take place at 17 sites in six countries. One hundred percent of the worldwide proceeds will go to programs and services that directly benefit the more than 3,200 children of Christel House.

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The vacation fulfillment service provider will provide a four-year, full scholarship to Arizona State University for one Christel House student interested in pursuing a career in the tourism industry.

International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE), a worldwide travel and leisure organization with a global network of innovative travel alliances has established a scholarship program; providing a four-year scholarship to Arizona State University for one Christel House student interested in pursuing a career in the travel and tourism industry. Christel House builds and operates learning centers in impoverished neighborhoods with the goal of creating sustainable social and educational impact. ICE has supported Christel House as its charity of choice for more than 10 years.

The ICE scholarship will include tuition, room and board in campus housing, books and a stipend for incidental expenses and travel for home visits. ICE will also provide the scholarship recipient with an internship of 10 hours per week at its headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ.

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About Christel House

Christel House International is a 501(c)3 public charity helping children around the world to break the cycle of poverty, realize their hopes and dreams and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. Christel House learning centers — located in India, Mexico, South Africa, the United States and Venezuela — provide education, nutrition, health care and character and life-skills development for children. For additional information, please visit www.christelhouse.org.

RCI is proud to once again be the Global Title Sponsor of the Christel House Charity Golf Open and welcomes Nexus Leisure as Signature Sponsor of the European Events.

The RCI Christel House Charity Golf Open, now in its ninth year, has become a highlight of the timeshare industry’s fundraising calendar. A charity golf tournament on a global scale, the Christel House Open hosts tournaments across five continents.

For 2011 there will be two European golf events. The first to be held is on Saturday 11 June at the Pestana Vila Sol golf course, Vilamoura, Portugal and the second will be held on Monday 13 June at Ealing Golf Club, London, England.

Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI, said: “In the more than ten years since the charity’s founding, RCI has taken great pride in supporting Christel House (www.christelhouse.org), and the incredible work the organisation does to transform the lives of impoverished children around the world. We are delighted that Nexus Leisure is continuing its support of this worthy cause in 2011, which raises funds to help these children achieve their dreams. Together, we can truly make a difference.”

Nexus Leisure has worked actively for the charity for more than ten years, incorporating various fundraising activities into the heart of its operation, including a late check-out scheme in which fees for late check-outs are donated to the charity.

In commenting on the company’s continued sponsorship of the Christel House Open, Jerry Graber from Nexus Leisure said: “As a company we are so proud to be associated with Christel House and its good work. We look forward to being part of yet another series of world golf events where we will all have the opportunity to join together in sporting comradeship and raise further funds for the cause.”

He added “Nexus will be fielding two teams at the Europe events this year, ever hopeful of winning. Though the competition, as always, will be tough, the important thing to remember is that Christel House emerges as the real winner.”

Ballotti added: “To make a difference in the lives of the children of Christel House this has to be a real team effort. In 2010 the golf tournaments alone helped raise $490,000 for the charity. And so we’d like to ask our affiliates, developers, suppliers and partners to join us at one of these planned tournaments across the globe to help raise even more money for Christel House in 2011. It’s sure to be a great day, and we can all take pride in knowing that we have helped make a difference in the lives of children and their families who need it most.”

Other sponsors include Perspective International who will be supporting the events as Global Media Sponsor and RCI Europe as the Half Way House Sponsor for both European events.

The Million Dollar Hole in One team will be back again this time at the Portugal Event.  If you get your tee shot to remain on the green you win a prize and if you make a hole in one you win an invitation to the Million Dollar Hole in One annual tournament in Las Vegas and shoot for One Million Dollars (US).

Christel House was founded in 1998 by RCI founder, Christel DeHaan, with the mission of helping children worldwide break the cycle of poverty. Today it serves over 3,000 students, assisting them in optimising their potential to be productive and self sufficient through education. What’s more, the charity has implemented a fantastic support structure which ensures that students are provided with ongoing support, medical care, guidance and transport costs.

For further details on participating in the European golf events, sponsorship opportunities or to donate a prize for the auction, please contact amanda.white@rci.com

Pestana Vila Sol Algarve

Internationally known, the Vila Sol golf course managed by the Pestana Group, is now part of the Algarve’s most sought after golf courses.

Having been inaugurated in 1991 with the signature of the architect Donald Steel, “Vila Sol, is living proof that dreams can be realised.

Located in the Central Algarve the Vila Sol Hotel and Golf resort is set in 75 acres of natural beauty and accommodates two magnificent golf courses, Pestana Vila Sol Championship and Pestana Vila Sol Academy Golf Course

Ealing Golf Club

Ealing golf club is an urban golfing haven, with a convenient location just off the A40, opposite the famous “art-deco” hoover building. Founded in 1898 and laid out by the distinguished golf course architect Harry S. Colt, this parkland course offers 18 holes of delightful but challenging golf to its members and visitors alike. The general condition of the course receives constant compliments and the greens are acclaimed by many top players as amongst the best they have ever played.

It was an awkward moment. One that I had a feeling would be on the horizon when I accepted the assignment to cover the Women In The Industry (WIN) Florida Regional Conference last weekend for perspectivemagazine.com.

The conference, held at the Marriott Cypress Harbour Resort in Orlando, Florida, brought together some of the timeshare industry’s leading professional women to discuss issues pertaining to their unique roles within the industry. They could not have been more welcoming and gracious, even though there were a few quizzical looks as some of the attendees tried to process why a guy would spend his Saturday morning at such a venue.

Matt McDaniel, Editor of Perspective Magazine North America, and I covered the event for the company and, as the only two guys in the audience of about 100 women, we had a feeling that there would be some good-natured teasing going on. The first hint would be during the first break between sessions when the ladies stood sentry in front of the men’s restroom to commandeer the facilities. As you would expect, their numbers were a little unbalanced regarding their own facilities. Oh well, what’s a few more minutes of waiting…..

Lani Kane-Hanan, Senior Vice President for Resort Planning and Development for Marriott Vacation Club, hosted the event on behalf of WIN. Explaining the mission, she spoke of the group’s desire to advocate, educate and provide personal and professional growth through networking, education, research and philanthropy. In 2010, WIN was involved in activities such as assisting with college scholarships and fundraising activities for the purchase of breast cancer screening equipment for the women of Abaco Island in the Bahamas. In all, WIN raised $20,000 for projects during the course of the year.

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World’s largest vacation exchange company receives seven awards at industry awards gala

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), celebrated achievement of a remarkable seven awards at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) 2010 gala ceremony and dinner in Las Vegas, Nevada, including the ACE Philanthropic Award for its work with Christel House fundraising efforts and education.

“RCI prides itself on having the most talented and passionate associates in the industry who are committed to delivering great service to our valued affiliates and vacation experiences to our 3.8 million members worldwide,” said Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI. “RCI’s award recipients all demonstrate a commitment to our ‘Count on Me!’ service culture for our members and affiliates and it’s a great honor to see so many of them recognized by our colleagues throughout the industry.”

Presented by ARDA, the awards are an opportunity to recognize those companies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the industry. The ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) honors specific individuals who have attained the highest level of excellence in their fields, or have demonstrated a commitment to the betterment of the industry as a whole.

RCI as a company received the following awards in the advertising and promotion categories:

•    Brochure 1-8 Pages:

RCITV/Enhanced Search Bilingual Brochure

•    Magazine Ad:

RCI Series of Ads in the RVI Directory (South Africa)

•    Direct Mail:

The Registry Collection April Direct Mail

•    Website:

EndlessVacation.com

•    Interactive Internet Advertising Campaign:

Your Fat Chance Campaign

•    Green Sustainable Advertising and Promotion Initiatives:

Earth Hour Email

About RCI
RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with exclusive access for specified periods to more than 65,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Exchange and Rentals is comprised of vacation exchange, including RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers and The Registry Collection program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Endless Vacation Rentals, Landal GreenParks®, Novasol®, and other renowned vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse® Leisure Real Estate Solutions, a research and consultancy firm providing advisory services to the global leisure real estate industry. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange.

For additional information visit www.wyndhamer.com or the media center of www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

Nearly 2,000 golfers and hundreds of volunteers gathered for the seventh annual Group RCI Christel House Open international charity golf tournament the week of June 8. The Open is actually a series of individual tournaments spanning the world. This year, golfers at 19 individual tournament sites on five continents
participated in the event. The majority of tournaments take place in June with a few events taking place later in the year due to weather and other considerations.

World-wide proceeds are expected to be announced by year-end, once all tournaments have taken place. One hundred percent of cash proceeds will be utilized for programs and services benefiting more than 3,000 children who attend Christel House learning centres.

The tournament is largely supported by developers, resorts and vendors in the timeshare industry because of strong ties to Christel House founder Christel DeHaan, a recognized pioneer in the industry and co-founder of Group RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange. Timeshare industry companies sponsor and
host individual tournament sites on behalf of the charity.

“We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, including our Title Sponsor Group RCI, for their generous support of this year’s tournament. Likewise, our tournament site hosts are the event’s heart and soul. Their collective efforts have built the tournament into an annual tradition that spans the globe,” said DeHaan.

“We are absolutely thrilled to once again have the opportunity to sponsor the Group RCI Christel House Open and are humbled to help this world class organization’s efforts to break the cycle of poverty around the world,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Group RCI.

“Our associates’ and affiliates’ passionate support of Christel House from Bundall, Australia, to Bangalore, India, improves the lives of countless children, families and communities that make up the Christel House community, and we are very proud of that.”

The UK tournament of the Group RCI Christel House Open charity golf day was held at Ealing Golf Club, Perivale, Middlesex on Monday 15th June 2009.

Ealing Golf Course was originally laid out by James Braid and later re-designed by Harryding. Colt, one of the greatest of all golf course architects who would go on to design Sunningdale, the East and West courses at Wentworth and Stoke Park.

The course is renowned for the condition of our course and the greens are some of the best in England. Golfing legends such as Peter Allis, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer and Paul McGinley have played the course as well as celebrities like Sir Henry Cooper, football legends Ruud Gullit and Denis Wise and entertainer Matt Monro.

It is a challenging Par 70, 6,191 yards course that, over the years has produced players of the highest calibre in amateur golf. It is not a physically demanding course though so players of all levels and ages can enjoy a relaxing but challenging round.

The weather held out right to the end of play allowing all players to enjoy a dry round as teams of four battled it out for first place and a number of individual prizes.

The evening started with a drinks reception sponsored by Perspective International Ltd and followed with a
beautiful dinner, speeches from key sponsors and Christel House supporters, a charity auction and awards ceremony.

First Prize Winners were Team Vision, comprising of Stephen Price, Tony Dangerfield, Bertie Edwards and
Jimmy Kane.

The UK event raised over £20,000 for the children of Christel House.

The 2009 Group RCI Christel House Open international charity golf tournament spanned the globe with approximately 2,000 golfers teeing off from 19 tournament sites on five continents. Most of the tournaments took place on Monday, June 8. Due to weather and other factors, a handful of tournaments will take place on other dates before the end of the year. Group RCI returned as the tournament’s Title Sponsor. Joining Group RCI as event-wide sponsors were: The American Resort Development Association, Bluegreen Corp., FedEx, Harding Poorman Group, St. Vincent Health and Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

Now in its seventh year, the Open included tournament sites in:

United States
Boonville, NY
Boyne, MI
Breckenridge, CO
Carmel, IN
Christmas Mountain, WI
Daytona Beach, FL
Kissimmee, FL
Gatlinburg, TN
Myrtle Beach, SC
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Scottsdale, AZ
Vista, CA
Williamsburg, VA

International
Bangalore, India
Cape Town, South Africa
Caracas, Venezuela
Johannesburg, South Africa
Mexico City, Mexico
Perivale, Middlesex, United Kingdom

The United Kingdom tournament will take place on Moday 15th June, and as Media Sponsor, Perspective Magazine will be bringing you a review of the event, photos of the winners and monies raised for Christel House International.

Date: 15 June 2009
Location: Ealing Golf Club, Perivale, UK
Website: CHOpen.org

For more details of attending, playing and sponsoring this event email amanda.white@rci.com

This is one of many golf tournaments being held around the world to raise money for Christel House. Please see this press release for more information.