RCI Continues Support of Children Around the World as Title Sponsor of the Christel House Open

RCI helps raise funds and awareness during this series of charitable golf tournaments

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Apr 30, 2018, 11:00 ET

PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, celebrates its 12^th successive year as title sponsor of the annual RCI^®Christel House Open International Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament is held in several locations and aims to raise awareness and funds for Christel House International, a charity committed to bettering the lives of impoverished children around the world.

"Christel House has helped improve the lives of thousands of children by providing them with the skills to become independent adults," said Gordon Gurnik, president of RCI. "I'm thankful to those who have contributed to the success of these charitable golf tournaments and Christel House's mission to drive out poverty and better the lives of future generations. Since becoming the title sponsor 12 years ago, I'm proud to say we've helped raise $6.1 million for this invaluable charity."

The Christel House Open kicks off on Saturday, May 19, 2018, in Palm Beach, Florida, and continues across North America and Europe the following months in these locations:

Saturday, June 2 in Boonville, New York
Monday, June 4 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Indianapolis, Indiana
Friday, June 8 in Edwards, Colorado
Monday, June 11 in Vista, California; Kissimmee, Florida; Williamsburg, Virginia; and the United Kingdom
Thursday, September 13 in Branson, Missouri
Wednesday, November 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona

Celebrating its 16^th year, the open is attended by thousands of golfers, sponsors and volunteers from around the world who come together to raise awareness and funds for Christel House International. The nonprofit donates one hundred percent of the proceeds from the tournament to directly educate children around the world.

Christel DeHaan, founder and CEO of Christel House International, established the charity in 1998 and aims to help its more than 4,500 children around the world realize their hopes and dreams and become independent adults. The charity operates learning centers in the U.S., India, Mexico and South Africa. DeHaan also co-founded RCI in 1974.

"When Christel House began 20 years ago, breaking the cycle of poverty seemed a distant goal," said Cheryl Wendling, senior vice president of Christel House International. "It's immensely gratifying to see all the years of hard work now bearing fruit as our graduates enter the workforce and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. As they become parents, mature in their professions, take active roles in their countries and communities, the real impact of Christel House will become clear. We are deeply grateful to our friends at RCI, who have walked beside us on this journey for the past two decades, and we are particularly delighted that several of our graduates are now able to call themselves RCI'ers."

Christel House and the RCI Christel House Open are strongly supported by developers, resorts and vendors in the timeshare industry. In 2017, the event raised more than $818,000 to support Christel House initiatives, and the Christel House Open has totaled $9.5 million in net proceeds worldwide since the tournament's inception.

For more information, please visit christelhouse.org/events.

About RCI
RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with over 4,300 affiliated resorts in 110 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. Today, through the RCI Weeks^® program, the week-for-week exchange system, and the RCI Points^® program, the industry's first global points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation options to its 3.8 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI's luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection^® program, is the world's largest program of its kind with approximately 200 affiliated properties either accessible for exchange or under development on six continents. RCI is part of Wyndham Destination Network and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information visit our media center or rciaffiliates.com. RCI also can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About Christel House International

The mission of Christel House is to transform the lives of impoverished children around the world—breaking the cycle of poverty and building self-sufficient, contributing members of society. A focus on academic excellence through a robust K–12 curriculum is combined with a strong character development program to give students the skills and competencies necessary to compete successfully in complex 21st Century society.

Much more than a school, Christel House was established in 1998 by Founder and CEO Christel DeHaan, and currently serves over 4,550 impoverished students through eight learning centers—located in India, Mexico, South Africa and the U.S.A. Christel House students maintain a 98% graduation exam pass rate, and the majority of its graduates go on to pursue higher education. They become productive citizens, and many secure employment with top multinational corporations. Christel House graduates are confident, hardworking, responsible and ethical, with a passion for giving back to their communities and caring for their families.

For more information, please visit www.christelhouse.org and follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/christelhouse; www.twitter.com/christelhouse

SOURCE RCI