MIAMI, Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the Miami HEAT
Charitable Fund, and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family
Foundation are pledging up to $10
million in funding and in-kind support for relief and
rebuilding efforts in Florida and
throughout the Caribbean following
Hurricane Irma.
The Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation will make an
immediate donation of $2.5 million to
Direct Relief, UNICEF and the United Way of Miami-Dade County to support the most timely
and urgent relief needs in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Carnival Foundation -- the philanthropic arm of Carnival
Corporation -- and the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund are each pledging
to raise a combined $5 million in
funding for relief and recovery efforts. Carnival Corporation
Chairman Micky Arison and his wife
Madeleine will match that commitment up to a total of $5 million from the Micky and Madeleine Arison
Family Foundation, including the organization's initial donation
aimed at supporting the most immediate needs in Florida and the Caribbean.
"We are committed to supporting relief efforts where Hurricane
Irma left an impact in Florida and
the Caribbean, starting with
immediate humanitarian needs and recovery efforts that will have a
meaningful impact," said Arnold
Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "Hurricane Irma's
impact strikes close to home both in our home state of Florida and across the Caribbean, where we and our brands have made
many friends and partners over many years. Our prayers and thoughts
go out to all of those who have been impacted. It is inspiring to
see so many individuals and organizations already pitching in to
support the relief work, and we will continue to look for ways to
provide support. Our friends and partners from across Florida and the Caribbean have always displayed remarkable
resilience, strength and spirit when facing difficult
circumstances. They have come back strong in the past, and we will
be standing with them as they work to come back strong once
again."
Donald added: "We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to
Micky and Madeleine Arison for their
generosity, and also express our gratitude to the Miami HEAT
organization for partnering with us to support recovery
efforts."
"Hurricane Irma has devastated many families and cities that
mean so much to us," said Pat Riley,
President of the Miami HEAT. "As a long-time resident of
South Florida, I have witnessed
the resiliency of our communities; watching neighbors come together
to overcome adversity. The South
Florida community has supported our organization throughout
the years, so it is only fitting that we are there to support and
help uplift this community in its time of need."
As part of the company's Hurricane Irma relief fundraising
efforts, Carnival Corporation's Carnival Cruise Line is embarking
on humanitarian efforts to deliver critical supplies to the most
deeply affected areas of Florida
and the island nations in the Caribbean that were impacted. The brand is
deploying 11 ships to provide affected ports in the region with
crucial supplies and the most immediate necessities, including
food, water, clothing, diapers, medical supplies and generators,
among others.
Scheduled as part of ongoing cruise itineraries, the
humanitarian aid efforts will benefit impacted destinations across
the region, including Grand Turk, St.
Maarten, St. Thomas, Antigua-Barbuda and affected Bahamian islands.
Carnival Corporation remains in touch with leaders throughout the
Caribbean to be able to support
each country's quickly evolving recovery needs. The company also
initiated a multi-faceted plan to begin providing relief to areas
of the U.S. mainland, including Florida and the Florida Keys, which will begin
as soon as all impacted areas are accessible.
Carnival Corporation's cruise brands are contributing additional
global fundraising efforts. Carnival Cruise Line set up a relief
program enabling guests to donate directly to Hurricane Irma
recovery efforts through its donation page available at Carnival
Hurricane Relief. Princess Cruises' Princess Foundation has also
pledged to match donations made through its donation page, which
will be available soon through the brand's website. Additionally,
P&O Cruises UK is setting up a campaign to support hurricane
relief through donations directly to UNICEF.
Carnival Corporation and its full portfolio of global brands are
also encouraging employees to support the recovery efforts in
Texas, Florida and the Caribbean, while also matching some individual
donations.
The Hurricane Irma support and relief efforts follow the recent
announcement that Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Corporation and
the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation provided a minimum
of $2 million for Hurricane Harvey
recovery across the Gulf Coast region, including some of the
hardest hit areas of Texas.
Support following Hurricane Harvey has been committed to Direct
Relief, Houston Food Bank, Operation Homefront, Save the Children
and the United Way of Greater
Houston.
About The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund
The Miami HEAT
Charitable Fund was established in 1997 and is comprised of the
Miami HEAT players, coaches, wives and staff. Establishing
its presence in the South Florida
community, the HEAT "family" has been able to generate critical
dollars through unique fundraising programs for the betterment of
at risk families. The primary beneficiaries from this event are
Jackson Memorial Foundation's Guardian Angels, which supports the
Holtz Center for seriously ill children, SafeSpace, a domestic
violence shelter for women and their children, and Home Strong,
which provides aid, supports, and honors members of the U.S.
military. More information on the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund is
available online at HEAT.com.
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival
Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company
and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise
and vacation industries, with a portfolio of 10 dynamic brands that
include nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations
in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise
Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK), as well
as Fathom, the corporation's immersion and enrichment experience
brand.
Together, these brands operate 103 ships with 231,000 lower
berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 17 new ships
scheduled to be delivered between 2018 and 2022. Carnival
Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess
Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the
Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London
Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the
only dual listed company in the world to be included in both the
S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
In 2017, Fast Company recognized Carnival Corporation as being
among the "Top 10 Most Innovative Companies" in both the design and
travel categories. Fast Company specifically recognized Carnival
Corporation for its work in developing Ocean Medallion™, a
high-tech wearable device that enables the world's first
interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming
vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of
customized service.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.fathom.org, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com,
www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, and www.pocruises.com.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation-miami-heat-charitable-fund-and-micky-and-madeleine-arison-family-foundation-pledge-up-to-10-million-for-hurricane-irma-relief-300520106.html
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc