Know Your Neighbor: Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection
Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection Awards $5,000 Grant to Local Charity, Samaritan’s Purse
Local Businesses Come Together as Part of Choice Hotels’ Your Community, Your Choice Local Community Grant Program
Boone, NC January 27, 2025 - Local charity Samaritan’s Purse has been awarded a $5,000 grant from Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection as a recipient of this year’s Your Community, Your Choice Program from Choice Hotels International. This program, which began in 2019, recognizes and empowers local hotel owners to make a positive difference in their communities. As a winner of this year’s program, Samaritan’s Purse will use the funds to support ongoing Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Choice Hotels’ Your Community, Your Choice program invites owners in the United States to participate in the grant program to request funds for a local, non-profit that is important to them. Once nominated, Choice associates vote to help select the projects they think are most deserving.
The owners of the Graystone Lodge, Boone natives and siblings, Justin Patel and Selina Bell stated, “At the Graystone Lodge, we deeply believe in supporting our local community and after experiencing this devasting storm and seeing the response from Samaritan’s Purse, we knew we wanted to secure this grant for their relief efforts. We would also like to send a special thank you to Choice Hotels International for funding these grants and caring so much about our local communities.” Patel and Bell continued, “As a special surprise as well, we have decided to match the grant with our own donation of $5,000 and so has Paul Niswonger and Michael Heeden with the management company, First Carolina Management, Inc., that operates the day to day operations of our properties, to make the total impact $15,000!”
“Samaritan’s Purse is so grateful for the generosity of Graystone Lodge, Choice Hotels International and First Carolina Management,” said Luther Harrison, vice president of North American Ministries. “We are honored to receive this grant from a business here in our own community. As we continue to respond to Hurricane Helene and help families return home, we are grateful for this support. It is our prayer that every family we serve will be reminded that God loves them, and there is still hope after the storm.”
Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection is backed by the award-winning loyalty program Choice Privileges. Through the program, members can earn and redeem points at over 7,000 hotels across a diverse portfolio of brands with locations in 46 countries and territories. With the Choice Privileges Mastercard, cardholders can earn more points faster, including on everyday purchases including gas and groceries.
More information about the Your Community, Your Choice program can be found here: https://choicehotelsdevelopment.com/your-community-your-choice/
Wondering if you’re eligible for the Know Your Neighbor Member Benefit? If you’re a Visibility Level member or higher, great news—you are! Email megan@boonechamber.com for details.