Koreatown Youth & Community Center and DoubleTree by Hilton Host Community Tree Planting in Celebration of NeighborWoods® Month

LOS ANGELES, October 12, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Koreatown Youth & Community Center, a member of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Alliance for Community Trees program, is partnering with DoubleTree by Hilton, one of Hilton’s 14 world-class brands, to plant 45 trees to beautify the historic Pico Union neighborhood next to downtown Los Angeles.

The event will help raise Pico Union’s tree canopy, which is more than 10 percent lower than the national average. The planting will take place on October 19, 2017 from 9:00–12:30 p.m. The community event is made possible with the support of the DoubleTree by Hilton and is part of NeighborWoods® Month, a national celebration of communities and trees. Every October, tens of thousands of volunteers take action to improve neighborhoods across the county by planting and caring for trees. NeighborWoods® Month supports local tree planting organizations and their efforts to make neighborhoods cleaners, greener and healthier.

Local residents are invited to dig in the dirt with hundreds of volunteers from both Koreatown Youth & Community Center and DoubleTree by Hilton.

“NeighborWoods is all about neighborhoods, and we are pleased to come together to help Pico Union with DoubleTree by Hilton,” said Will Levegood of the Koreatown Youth & Community Center. “The trees planted in Pico Union will have a significant impact on the economically and environmentally served community.”

To illustrate the importance of trees in our communities, the Alliance for Community Trees commissioned the 2017 NeighborWoods® Month Survey*, conducted by Wakefield Research. Key findings include:

• Trees bring benefits to not only community infrastructure but also the people who live there.
• 94 percent of Americans believe that having trees in their community makes them happier.
• More than 60 percent of people surveyed believe having trees in their community inspires them to be active outdoors.
• Nearly half (46 percent) of Americans say that trees in their communities help them relieve stress.
• 95 percent of people surveyed acknowledge shared benefits of having trees in their community including beautification, positive environmental impact and enticing birds and wild life to their areas.

“We are excited to be a part of the beautification and revitalization of Pico Union,” said Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global head, DoubleTree by Hilton. “For years, we’ve enjoyed partnering with The Arbor Day Foundation to take part in events and activities that truly make a difference. This year, NeighborWoods® Month is perfectly timed with Hilton’s Global Week of Service, which drives social and environmental change by encouraging Team Members to extend their hospitality beyond our hotels and into the communities.”

NeighborWoods® Month volunteering opportunities across the country are made possible by NASCAR Green, MetLife Foundation, DoubleTree by Hilton, and Procter & Gamble’s Family Care brands: Puffs, Charmin and Bounty.

To learn about how to get involved in additional NeighborWoods® Month events taking place in your area, please visit NeighborWoodsMonth.org.

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For more information:
Will Levegood
Koreatown Youth & Community Center
wlevegood@kyccla.org
213-365-7400 Ext. 5405

About Koreatown Youth & Community Center

KYCC (Koreatown Youth and Community Center) was established in 1975 to support a growing population of at-risk youth in Los Angeles. Today, KYCC is the leading multiservice organization in Koreatown, supporting children and their families in the areas of education, health, housing, and finances. We believe that if the family is healthy, our community will thrive. KYCC is committed to making Koreatown a safe and beautiful place to live and work.

The mission of KYCC is to serve the evolving needs of the Korean American population in the greater Los Angeles area as well as the multiethnic Koreatown community. KYCC’s programs and services are directed toward recently immigrated, economically disadvantaged youth and families, and promote community socioeconomic empowerment.

About DoubleTree by Hilton

DoubleTree by Hilton is a fast-growing, global portfolio of more than 500 upscale hotels with more than 119,000 rooms in gateway cities, metropolitan areas and vacation destinations across six continents. DoubleTree by Hilton prides itself on paying attention to the little details that have a big impact, from welcoming guests with its signature warm DoubleTree Cookie to serving the communities around them. DoubleTree by Hilton hotels offer unique, contemporary accommodations and full-service facilities, including restaurants and lounges, room service, health clubs, business centers, and meeting and banquet space. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi and digital amenities like digital check-in with room selection and Digital Key (select locations), available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. To make reservations, travelers may visit doubletree.com. Connect with DoubleTree by Hilton on facebook.com/doubletree, twitter.com/doubletree and instagram.com/doubletree. Journalists may visit news.doubletree.com.            

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,000 properties with more than 825,000 rooms in 103 countries and territories. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton^TM, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton^TM, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else and free standard Wi-Fi. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. 

About Alliance for Community Trees

Alliance for Community Trees, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation, is a national network of local nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health and livability of cities by planting and caring for trees. With member organizations and program partner organizations throughout the United States, Alliance for Community Trees engages volunteers to take action to improve the environment where more than 90% of people live. Learn more about Alliance for Community Trees and its member organizations at arborday.org/alliance.

*Methodological Notes

The Arbor Day Foundation Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ between July 18 and 25, 2017, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.