NEWS RELEASE
PHILIPPINES, 6 February 2010 -- Without doubt, CNN and its worldwide viewership have made the right choice for Philippines' Efren Penaflorida. The 2009 CNN Hero of the Year has been deluged with fans and followers flying from all over the world to meet him, shake his hand, and take a photo with him. Yet Penaflorida remained focused on his true mission to push for change.
This day, Efren Penaflorida signed a partnership agreement with Hotelwithheart.com, which makes his youth organisation, Dynamic Teen Company, a beneficiary from donations Hotelwithheart.com will make out of earned commissions from completed hotel bookings. The donation is at no cost to guests.
Penaflorida expressed that while the push cart classrooms won for him the avowed status of becoming a worldwide hero, he still hopes for street children to be able to receive formal education in a classroom setting. "The pushcart is just a way to awaken their minds. The norm is not for them to be on the streets. The norm is for these children to go to schools, receive love and nurturing from adults, live in safe and child-friendly homes, and to enjoy life," he said.
By being a partner beneficiary of Hotelwithheart.com, guests can now choose Dynamic Teen Company as the organisation to receive the donation. As many as there are guests choosing DTC as beneficiary, the amount of donation becomes more substantial.
And a substantial amount is what they need. Efren Penaflorida expressed hopes of purchasing a portion of land and of building a school for the children they serve.
About Hotelwithheart.com
Hotelwithheart.com is the world's first and only online hotel booking site that gives to charity from commission income at no cost to guests. Hotelwithheart.com offers over 70,000 cheap hotels, luxury resorts, beach resorts, budget accommodations, and 5 star hotels in more than 80 countries worldwide.
About Efren Penaflorida and Dynamic Teen Company
Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) is a group of concerned young people with a mission of making a small yet significant difference in other people's lives, particularly the small children in slum areas who have no access to education, basic hygiene and sometimes, even love from their families. The group was founded in August 1997 by four teenagers from Cavite National High School, one of whom was Efren Penaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
