Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino launched the EMBRACE Project, its newest ongoing community outreach program designed for the betterment of the island. EMBRACE stands for Employees Maintaining, Beautifying, Revitalizing Authentic Cultural Elements.

This volunteer initiative, which draws upon the generosity of resort staff and guests, launched in May 2009 with the cleanup of the Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins, one of Aruba’s landmarks, and will continue on throughout the year.

Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino’s next EMBRACE project will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at the Balashi Gold Mine Ruins. Hyatt Regency Aruba is the first and only resort in Aruba to offer this eco-friendly voluntourism program.

Hyatt Regency Aruba’s EMBRACE Project is similar to a local sightseeing excursion. Guests can sign up with the resort concierge to join volunteer staff for a morning-long cleanup effort, which is offered once a quarter.

For the first volunteer session, the group departed the resort for Bushiribana, built in 1872 by the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company in the hills of Ceru Plat. Bushiribana is a special landmark to Hyatt Regency Aruba, as it served as the design inspiration for the resort’s entrance as well as its Balashi Pool Bar.

For each of the ongoing cleanup sessions, Hyatt Regency Aruba provides all of the volunteers complimentary “Hyatt Force” T-shirts, snacks and drinks, roundtrip transportation on the “Kukoo Kunuku” bus provided by Aruba Adventures, and the tools necessary to spruce up the landmark.

Hyatt EMBRACE was born out of a desire to give back to the community while offering guests the opportunity to partake in a meaningful and memorable experience. Hyatt’s EMBRACE Project is part of the “Aruba Story,” a new and ongoing series of initiatives tying the resort and its guests to local island culture.

The Aruba Story is comprised of four “chapters,” which highlight experiences offered at the resort that are related to different aspects of Aruba. These chapters will be released over the next year under the tagline: “Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino…Experience Authentic Island Chic.”