More than 120 volunteers associated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will spend this Saturday painting and landscaping Centennial Elementary School in their Springfield community as part of the company’s 15th annual G.I.V.E. Day and the 6th event at its Springfield office.

G.I.V.E., which stands for “Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere,” is a community service event that brings together Royal Caribbean employees, their families, friends, vendors and business partners to assist non-profit organizations and improve the quality of life in their local communities.  

“As one of the largest non-Government employers in Springfield, we are committed to supporting and helping our local communities,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  “We hope that the personal satisfaction and enjoyment of assisting our neighbors on G.I.V.E. Day will help inspire our employees to pursue volunteer and public service opportunities throughout the year.”

Centennial Elementary School was built in 1963 and serves approximately 400 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, in a mixed-income area of west Springfield. About two-thirds of the students are eligible for Free/Reduced lunch thus establishing Centennial as a school receiving Federal Title 1 support. In May 2008, Centennial Elementary was recognized by the Oregon Department of Education as a “Closing The Achievement Gap – Champion School,” and more than 50 percent of Centennial teachers hold advanced degrees and have an average of 17 years of classroom teaching experience.

Now in its 15th year, G.I.V.E. Day is an example of how the more than 40,000 Royal Caribbean employees give back to their communities around the world, by donating thousands of volunteer hours to assist their communities with neighborhood development, civic drives, environmental improvement and disaster recovery.  Similar G.I.V.E. Day events took place in South Florida, Wichita, Kansas and Seattle, Washington and are planned for Anchorage, Alaska, United Kingdom, Germany and other International Offices.