CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - Funding from a canceled event will assist hotel staff displaced by lost business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is coming from funding that was earmarked for the Toast to Tourism, a celebration held every year by the Visit Champaign County Foundation. The Toast honors people in the hospitality industry.
With the event no longer happening on May 13, 2020, organizers have decided to put these funds toward direct financial support for hotel workers who were recently laid off in the form of a Hospitality Relief Fund. This includes housekeepers, caterers, cooks, front desk staff and others working anywhere in hotel partner operations.
The fund will award a $250 payment to a displaced staff member at each of the Visit Champaign County Foundation's 24 hotel partners. The general manager at each property will send in nominations.
Funding came from private organizational or individual donations to the foundation and was led by efforts of the VCCF and VCC board members.
The pandemic caused serious problems locally, as Champaign County hotels either closed down or moved to skeletal crews when travel came to a halt. There were over 500 lost jobs, according to a Visit Champaign County press release.
“Very quickly, we saw a sharp decline in business with the cancellation of major community events,” explains Jesse Hines, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott and member of the Visit Champaign County Foundation Board of Directors. “Properties across Champaign County have lost staff or have temporarily closed their doors. Any relief we can provide to our valuable employees is appreciated.”
VCC leaders are encouraging the community to send in their own donations via PayPal. Businesses can donate gift cards to displaced hotel employees by mailing them to the following address:
Visit Champaign County
ATTN: Hospitality Relief Fund
17 E. Taylor St.
Champaign, IL 61820
