In a joint ’Family Fun Day’ on the 24th of March 2012, the 8 Starwood hotels in Abu Dhabi managed to raise Dhs40.000 for the charity organization "Operation Smile UAE".

Mr. Nemo Acimovic, General Manager of Le Méridien Hotel Abu Dhabi the hosting venue, handed over the cheque on behalf of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Abu Dhabi to Mrs. Morag Cromey-Hawke, President of the international charity organization "Operation Smile" in the UAE. The organization is currently planning a mission to Jordan to give a smile back to children born with a "cleft lip" and soon one in the UAE.

The seven hotels - Le Méridien Abu Dhabi, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi, Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa, St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort , St. Regis Abu Dhabi and Aloft Abu Dhabi - organized a "Family Fund Day" on the 24th of March as a joint charity event. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed fun activities in the resort area of Le Meridien Abu Dhabi, with a bouncy castle, raffle draws with top-notch prices and a fully-fledged arts & crafts bazaar.

"We are very happy with the outcome" mentioned Thomas van Opstal, Area General Manager Starwood Hotels Abu Dhabi. "I believe it is our duty to create as much awareness as possible for a cause like this, although streamlining seven major hotels for one event was not easy. However, seeing the event being visited and supported so well proved to us that building a "Family Fun Day" around the charity idea was the right thing to do to raise awareness and give back to our community."

Morag Cromey-Hawke, Executive Director of "Operation Smile" in the UAE stressed the necessity of community events to raise awareness for her cause. "We are very thankful to have well-known partners like the Starwood Hotels in Abu Dhabi to make our cause public and draw spotlight on the children. 40.000 AED can move a lot in the lives of our children, if you keep in mind that one 45-minutes surgery transforming a cleft lip into a beautiful smile and thus changing a child’s life forever costs less than 900 AED. Many thanks also to NIRVANA TOURS who kindly donated gifts and toys for the pre-operating session".

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