Washington, D.C., August 15, 2016 — Jill and Paul Kirwin, president & CEO of Northcott Hospitality and AmericInn, contributed $5,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation’s (AH&LEF’s) 2016 Annual Giving Campaign. 

“Jill and I are proud of the opportunity to support the Annual Giving Campaign. More importantly, our gift, impacts the educational and career aspirations of the next generation of hospitality leaders,” said Kirwin.
Paul is an active member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), serving on the board of directors. Additionally, he serves on AH&LEF’s board of trustees. A long-time supporter of AH&LEF, Paul has donated to the Annual Giving Campaign for the past nine consecutive years. This is his fifth gift at the six-diamond donor level.

Based in Minnesota, Northcott Hospitality has developed, operated and owned hotels and restaurants for over fifty years. Among its holding is AmericInn, a mid-scale hotel brand with 240 locations open and under development across the United States. 

“We are grateful for Paul and Jill’s donation to support our programs,” said Joori Jeon, AH&LEF president and COO. “Donations to AH&LEF’s Annual Giving Campaign are essential to our ongoing operations and allow AH&LEF trustees to allocate funds where the need in our industry is greatest.”

The Annual Giving Campaign is AH&LEF’s yearly fundraising initiative supported solely by the hospitality sector. Initiated in 1997, the program generates funds for AH&LEF’s core programs that provide hospitality management students with academic scholarships, offer grants for pertinent industry research such as diversity and technology advancement, and promote hospitality as a career of choice. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised through the campaigns, and the Foundation is scheduled to disburse $860,000 in scholarships alone this year. 

AH&LEF is the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA and is funded solely by charitable donations from progressive hospitality leaders and companies within the industry. In 2015, AH&LEF disbursed $730,000 in scholarships to promising college students and professionals seeking a career in hospitality, and $230,000 to fund valuable research for the industry. Since the Foundation’s inception, more than $20 million has been distributed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.

  
Support the Foundation by helping to fund the future of the lodging industry. Visit www.ahlef.org/donate to make a contribution today. All AH&LEF contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information about donating, contact Michelle Poinelli, senior vice president of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3181 ormpoinelli@ahlef.org or visit www.ahlef.org. 
 

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AH&LEF is the industry’s philanthropic organization, dedicated to helping people build careers that improve their lives and strengthen the lodging industry. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is a subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and provides resources for hospitality-related education and research. 

Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 2 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry of more than 54,000 properties generating $176 billion in annual sales from 5 million guestrooms.