Weekly Digital Breakdown – 4.9.20
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Apr 09
Hilton and American Express Donate Rooms To Medical Responders
Right now, medical first responders are living with a daily fear of not only contracting the coronavirus themselves, but also taking it home to their families. To help, Hilton Hotels and Resorts and American Express have committed to donating up to one million hotel room nights to frontline medical professionals to provide a safe and comfortable place to stay free of charge until the end of May.
The partnership will span Hilton properties and all hotel staff will undergo additional health and safety training to help protect themselves and guests. Updated cleaning protocols are being put in place and include industrial grade sanitation cleaners to keep rooms and common areas safe for all.
Hilton and American Express hope the rooms offer medical staff a refuge during this difficult time. While they know it won’t alleviate all of the stresses from long hours of combatting the virus, they hope the gesture will at least provide a place to relax and recharge while keeping their loved ones safe.
Lowe’s Builds Community Morale
With the change in weather, spring is typically a time for cleaning and home improvements. However due to stay-at-home orders for the majority of the country, many are postponing their projects and instead reserving this time for only essential fixes. For companies like Lowe’s, this is causing a disruption for business. However, they are instead taking this opportunity to focus on what they can do for their customers and their community in this time of need.
Lowe’s has created a #buildthanks campaign that encourage people at home to create DIY signs to publicly thank frontline heroes during this difficult time. The initiative includes ideas for getting started as well as a list of necessary supplies.
The campaign comes on the heels of Lowe’s continued efforts to support employees and surrounding communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include a $10 million donation in essential protective gear for medical workers and a $100 million commitment to support the needs of associates, customers and local communities.
Jack Dorsey Gives $1 Billion to Fight COVID-19
Jack Dorsey, CEO and cofounder of Twitter and Square Payments, is pledging $1 billion in Square shares to help fund COVID-19 relief efforts. The donation is the largest to date by a private individual. Once the pandemic has subsided, additional funds from the share equity will be used for girl’s health and education and Universal basic income.
Dorsey will be tracking fund distribution on a public Google Sheet as a matter of transparency. The first donation recipient being America’s Food Fund which is directing 100% of all money raised to organizations that are coordinated and distributing meals to those impacted by the virus.
Dorsey’s giving is very much needed but does come through a more untraditional route. In his announcement, he acknowledged that the shares will take time to be converted into cash. However, if the stock rises, the shares could end up being worth more than $1 billion dollars, going much further to help people and communities in need.
