WASHINGTON (PRWEB) November 09, 2012

On this important day for all American veterans, the American Resort Development Association(ARDA) extends its thanks to the brave men and women that serve our country. Many ARDA members actively support veterans initiatives throughout the year, and ARDA applauds their efforts.

Protecting our country is an important job that too often gets taken for granted, says Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA. On this special day set aside for those who have served and who currently serve, we want to honor this special group of people.

Heres a sampling of how ARDA members honor our veterans:

Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) proudly supports military reservists across the company and recently received the Above and Beyond Award for their efforts from the Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (ESGR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. The award honors WVO as an employer who provides exceptional support for military employees by exceeding the legal requirements for granting leave. The nomination for this award came directly from a WVO employee who is in the National Guard. WVO held her position while she was deployed with her platoon serving our country for 12 months.

For the second consecutive year, Interval Internationals Miami-based employees raised nearly $ 4,000 through a series of bake sales to benefit the Operation Any Soldier program.

Four Treats for Troops events, held at Intervals corporate headquarters and member-services center, generated funds used to ship custom care packages year-round to wounded and deployed service members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Intervals employee-driven support of Operation Any Soldier enhances its vacation program for military families with Steel Magnolias, a nonprofit founded by Interval member Deborah Powers-Holloway and her husband Milton. Since 2010, more than 250 travel certificates have been awarded for seven-day stays at Interval member resorts.

Intervals London-based staff manages a similar vacation program in partnership with Help for Heroes, a charity that provides recovery services across the U.K. for military members and their families who have experienced life-changing injuries or illness. Interval will also be donating weeks to the Resort Development Organisation (RDO), the trade association for vacation ownership across Europe, for the Give Us Time program that supports British forces in Afghanistan.

Grand Pacific Resort Management, located in north San Diego County, includes the Orange County resort San Clemente Cove in its family of 15 resorts. Bob Crittenden, a current owner at Carlsbad Seapointe Resort is one of the driving forces behind a non-profit organization called San Clemente Military Family Outreach, which provides emergency and morale services to the 1000+ families who are stationed in the north Camp Pendleton Marine and Navy base area. Each year this organization raises thousands of dollars for meaningful support of military families. These funds go to emergency car repairs, baby showers, school supplies, and a 1,000 turkey dinner giveaway which provides turkey and all the fixins for military families to enjoy in the privacy of their own homes. The primary fundraising vehicle for these activities is a yearly variety show. Grand Pacific Resort Management supports Military Family Outreach by donating weeks of ResorTime.com timeshare inventory to be auctioned off to raise funds.

RCIs Armed Forces Vacation Club