The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers to Host Holiday Cookie Competition to Support Horizons for Homeless Children September 30, 2008

The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers to Host Holiday Cookie Competition to Support Horizons for Homeless Children
Winner Will Receive a Two Night Stay at the Hotel and have their Cookie Featured on the Menu at Swan’s Café

Boston, MA (September 29, 2008) The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers announced today that they will host their inaugural “Holiday Cookie Competition” to help support their Gingerbread Tea program, and raise awareness for Horizons for Homeless Children, a Massachusetts non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless children and families.

From now until Monday, November 3rd, parent-child teams throughout Massachusetts will be encouraged to submit their best holiday cookie recipe to [email protected]. Cynthia Gold, Tea Sommelier for The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers and her team will choose the top five finalists from the email submissions. Those finalists will be invited to the hotel to showcase their holiday cookies for hotel guests during the final competition on Thursday, November 13th at Swan’s Café, located inside the hotel’s Grand Lobby.

The parent-child team with the winning holiday cookie recipe will win a grand prize which includes: a two-night stay at the hotel, an Afternoon Tea tasting conducted by Cynthia Gold, and their cookie featured in the Swan’s Café Gingerbread Tea program. The winning holiday cookie will also be on the Swan’s Café menu for $5, with all of the proceeds benefiting Horizons for Homeless Children. Kelly Malone from Mix 98-5’s Lander in the Morning Show will emcee the final competition. Cynthia Gold, Horizons for Homeless Children Executive Director Sue Heilman, and a panel of celebrity judges will also be on hand to judge the event.

“We are thrilled to host our first holiday cookie competition,” said Greg Clark, Director of Sales & Marketing for The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. “We always look for new and innovative ways to raise awareness of Horizons for Homeless Children. By creating this competition, we felt that we would bring more recognition to this outstanding cause.”
The Gingerbread Tea program will take place at Swan’s Café from Friday, November 14th through Friday, December 12th. It will be available daily between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and is $32.50 for adults and $16.50 for children. Each child who brings in a new and unwrapped toy for Horizons for Homeless Children will receive the winning holiday cookie as a “thank you” from The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. For a complete “Wish List” of toys along with terms and conditions, please visit www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org. Please note the list of unacceptable items below:

• Battery operated items
• Small toys that present a choking hazard
• Candy
• Balloons
• Fake tattoos
• Stuffed animals
• Clothing
• Military/Action/Superhero figures with weapons
• Disney products
• Barbie dolls
• BRATZ dolls


The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers:
Built in 1927, The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers is a member of Historic Hotel of America, and a recipient of Successful Meetings Pinnacle Award for delivering excellence in meetings. Some of the city’s top restaurants can be found at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers including Todd English’s Bonfire Steakhouse, Swan’s Café, Whiskey Park, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant and M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub-- a restaurant to suit virtually every taste. With an unmatched location for business and leisure travel, this historic hotel is adjacent to the Public Garden with its Swan Boats and Boston Common. Boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and cafes along famous Newbury Street, are just one block away. Rich in history, the hotel offers the same hospitality and service that has attracted United States Presidents, international business leaders and celebrities for the past 81 years.

Horizons for Homeless Children:
The mission of Horizons for Homeless Children is to improve the lives of homeless children and their families. The harsh reality is that over 112,000 children are without a home in Massachusetts. It provides homeless children in Massachusetts with the nurturing, stimulation and opportunities for early education and play that all children need to learn and grow in healthy ways. To improve the lives of the children it serves over the long term, it connects their parents with the tools they need to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency. It provides leadership in advocating for homeless children and their families through leveraging and sharing expertise with others and advocating with policy makers and the public. For more information on Horizons for Homeless Children please visit www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org or call 617.445.1480.

CONTACT:
Dominic Amenta, Regan Communications
Valerie Umana, Regan Communications
(O) 617/488-2892; (C) 781/789-5074
(O) 617/488-2877; (C) 781/858-3345
[email protected]
[email protected]