Choice Hotels and Its Loyalty Members Show Continued Support for the Steve Harvey Foundation

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's leading hotel companies and franchisor of eleven hotel brands including Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Cambria hotels & suites and Sleep Inn as well as Vacation Rentals by Choice Hotels, is proud to be the largest in-kind donor and long standing supporter of The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation. The dollars raised will go toward the Foundation's mission of helping young men and women, largely from fatherless families, set and achieve their goals through programs like the Steve Harvey Mentoring Camp for Young Men.

Steve Joyce presented a check for $158,000 to Harvey on Thursday during the multi-Emmy Award winning daytime TV host's program, the Steve Harvey Show. Last year, Choice Hotels made a dollar for dollar match, up to $50,000, to the point donations contributed by its Choice Privileges loyalty members, totaling $100,000.

You can watch the actual television presentation here.

For the second straight year, the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation Choice Privileges Points Donation Program has enabled the more than 25 million members of Choice Hotels' Choice Privileges loyalty program to donate their points to be redeemed for cash contributions. For every point donated, Choice Hotels matched with a monetary gift, up to a designated amount annually. In 2015, the donation program's inaugural year, Choice Privileges members and Choice Hotels reached the $100,000 combined total in six and a half weeks. This year, Choice Hotels increased its match ceiling from $50,000 to $75,000. Members donated their points immediately and generously, and combined with Choice's match amount, Choice and its Choice Privileges members raised $158,000, which is $8,000 more than the possible combined amount of $150,000.

"No matter the background, to make a difference in young lives you have to start early," said Steve Joyce. "Choice Hotels has worked closely with The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation since the launch of the Mentoring Camp. We have seen firsthand the incredible impact the hard work and resources have had on these young lives. Many mentees arrive without the opportunities most of us take for granted, like education and positive role models. Instead, we see a large group who go on to college – some earning scholarships and some even returning to volunteer at camp as junior counselors to help lead the next group."

The Steve Harvey National Mentoring Program for Young Men takes place each year around Father's Day week, with similar regional events hosted at other times of the year. This year's national camp will take place outside of Atlanta. Choice Hotels and its franchisees have donated hundreds of room nights to help provide the hard-working single mothers of camp attendees, mentors, and camp volunteers comfortable accommodations, free hot breakfast and Wi-Fi in nearby hotels while the young male mentees experience nature by bunking with U.S. Army mentors in barrack-style tents.

Steve Joyce serves as a camp mentor alongside other businessmen, community leaders, members of the military and professional athletes. This experience includes fishing lessons for the mentees as well as the opportunity for the young men to ask the mentors questions to help prepare them in life. 

"People may think they know what these kids' lives are like, but until they actually spend time with them there's no way to understand," said Steve Harvey. "That is why we are so appreciative of Choice Hotels' support for our cause through action, not just words and a check. Steve Joyce has made a lasting impression on these boys by serving among the mentors who exemplify what it means to be a man the right way – a man who shows respect and has self-respect. He is a man of his word in how he delivered on his promise to support the Foundation as well as inspire the Choice Privileges member community to get involved as well."

About The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation
The mission of The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation is to provide outreach to fatherless children and young adults by promoting educational enrichment, one-on-one mentoring and global service initiatives that will cultivate the next generation of responsible leaders. Two cornerstone programs include The Steve Harvey Mentoring program for Young Men, which mentors young men who are without fathers, and The Girls Who Rule The World Mentoring Weekend. For more information about The Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men, The Girls Who Rule The World Mentoring Weekend or to make a donation, please visit www.smharveyfoundation.org.

About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the world's largest lodging companies. With more than 6,400 hotels franchised in more than 35 countries and territories, Choice Hotels International® represents more than 500,000 rooms around the globe. As of December 31, 2015, 720 hotels were in our development pipeline. Our company's Ascend Hotel Collection®, Cambria® hotels & suites, Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Sleep Inn®, Quality®, Clarion®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn®, and Vacation Rentals by Choice Hotels™ brands provide a spectrum of lodging choices to meet guests' needs. With more than 25 million members and counting, our Choice Privileges® rewards program enhances every trip a guest takes, with benefits ranging from instant, every day rewards to exceptional experiences, starting right when they join.  All hotels and vacation rentals are independently owned and operated. Visit us at www.choicehotels.com for more information.

© 2016. Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.

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