Marriott International Receives National Down Syndrome Congress Employer of the Year Award

From left to right: NDSC Executive Director, David Tolleson, Area VP and JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort GM, Steve Hart and NDSC Board President, Marilyn Tolbert
(Photo credit: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort)

The National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) presented the 2015 Employer of the Year Award to Marriott International during the NDSC’s annual awards banquet at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort on Saturday, June 27. Marriott was honored with the same award in 1989 for the company’s commitment to training and hiring individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities. This is only the second time in NDSC’s 43-year history to recognize a company for the second time as an Employer of the Year.

The recent accolade was given to Marriott International for its continued focus on providing meaningful work for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Area Vice President and JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort General Manager Steve Hart accepted the award on behalf of Marriott International.

“Marriott’s commitment to positive internal measures, as well as its ongoing work with the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities should be points of pride for the organization’s associates worldwide,” said David C. Tolleson, executive director to NDSC.

The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities is a not-for-profit organization established in 1989 by the family of J. Willard Marriott, founder of Marriott International. The foundation’s mission is to foster the employment of young people with disabilities. A program was created to pair recent high school graduates with jobs of local employers and then continues to work with the youth after placement to help them grow and advance within their career.

JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is the largest luxury resort in Arizona. JW Marriott is part of Marriott International’s luxury portfolio and consists of beautiful properties in gateway cities and distinctive resort locations around the world. These elegant hotels cater to today’s sophisticated, self-assured travelers, offering them the quiet luxury they seek in a warmly authentic, relaxed atmosphere lacking in pretense.