Snowball Express Announces Partnership With La Quinta Inns & Suites and Their Significant Financial Support

Grapevine, Texas, August 4, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​Snowball Express, a Texas-based national non-profit which serves the children of America’s fallen military heroes, today announced that La Quinta Inns & Suites, a leading owner, operator and franchisor of select-service hotels is pledging both financial and operational support for their 2016 National Program and gathering of families of America’s fallen military heroes. La Quinta’s President and CEO, Keith Cline presented Snowball Express with a check of $50,000.

"La Quinta is privileged to partner with Snowball Express by joining them in their mission to provide hope and happy memories to the children and surviving families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We believe it is our civic duty to pay tribute and support those left behind,” said La Quinta’s Keith Cline.  “Our employees and team members look forward to creating a magical experience in Dallas-Fort Worth during an unforgettable four-day adventure during the holiday season.”  

"La Quinta is privileged to partner with Snowball Express by joining them in their mission to provide hope and happy memories to the children and surviving families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We believe it is our civic duty to pay tribute and support those left behind," said La Quinta's Keith Cline. "Our employees and team members look forward to creating a magical experience in Dallas-Fort Worth during an unforgettable four-day adventure during the holiday season."

Keith Cline, CEO, La Quinta Inns and Suites

“We are very honored to have La Quinta as our partner in supporting the children of our fallen,” says Snowball Express Executive Director, Buck Kern. “This donation is significant and will help assure our families receive a meaningful, life changing and “best of class” experience this December.   La Quinta has a long-standing tradition of supporting our military and their families. Their support of Snowball Express is yet one more example of the importance La Quinta places on supporting our military, their families and the families of our fallen heroes. We are proud to have La Quinta as our partner and very thankful for such significant support.”

Bob Apetz, Chairman of the Board for Snowball Express, added, “We are proud that La Quinta is standing alongside our Presenting Sponsor, American Airlines to support our Gold Star families. We are blessed to have La Quinta’s support. We are thrilled that in addition to the significant financial support, La Quinta’s team will be a part of our planning committee and help make the Snowball Express annual program our very best.”

“La Quinta’s donation will be used to support our families during this year’s annual gathering. The funds will be used to provide a “best of class” welcome day with a “Walk of Gratitude” and “family meal” for the nearly 2,000 family participants. We are pleased Mr. Cline has accepted our invitation to be a part of welcoming our families during this annual event and “Walk of Gratitude.”

About Snowball Express

Over the past decade, true American Heroes, the men and women of the United States Military and their families, have made and continue to make extraordinary sacrifices to protect our freedom. Since 2006, Snowball Express, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has hosted an annual gathering that brings children of fallen military heroes together from around the nation.

The mission of Snowball Express is to honor America’s fallen military service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice since 9/11 by humbly serving the families they left behind. Champion their children’s future success by creating opportunities for joy, friendship, education, and communal healing, by connecting these families to one another. This annual gathering is made possible by our presenting sponsor, American Airlines, who transports families traveling from 72 cities across the United States via ten chartered and 51 commercial flights. Hundreds of American employees volunteer their time to host send-off parties, staff the trip and assist with activities.  Snowball Express is a Charity Navigator 4-star rated charity. Over ninety-five percent of total contributions go directly to support its programs. To learn more about Snowball Express and to get involved please visit www.snowballexpress.org or on social media at: Facebook.com/SnowballExpressUSA, and follow us on Twitter @SnowballExpress. 

About La Quinta

La Quinta Holdings Inc. is a leading owner, operator and franchisor of select-service hotels primarily serving the upper-midscale and midscale segments. The Company's owned and franchised portfolio consists of more than 880 properties representing approximately 87,500 rooms located in 48 states in the U.S., and in Canada, Mexico and Honduras. These properties operate under the La Quinta Inn & Suites™, La Quinta Inn™ and LQ Hotel™ brands. La Quinta's team is committed to providing guests with a refreshing and engaging experience. For more information, please visit: www.LQ.com/military.

Source: Snowball Express