Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 14, 1990 TAG: 9004140134
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NEAL THOMPSON NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
After all, they figured, contributing to a collection that would be used to send terminally ill children on dream vacations to places like Disney World was a worthy cause.
As of Thursday afternoon, somewhere between $800 and $1,000 was estimated to have been in the bin.
By Friday morning, the money and the bin were gone.
Sometime during the night, a thief made off with both, and Holiday Inn is offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that could help get back the missing money.
"We think that's such an awful thing to do," said James Wright, the hotel's sales and marketing director.
Wright said workers last saw the bin at the front desk about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. It was reported missing by the night auditor sometime after the lounge closed about 2 a.m. Friday.
Blacksburg police were notified and were searching for suspects Friday.
Wright said there were few clues.
The collection was for the Give Kids the World fund, which was started a few years ago by the manager of a Holiday Inn in Florida. The money helps terminally ill children "live their dreams," Wright said.
Holiday Inns across the nation have been raising money for these children through efforts such as auctions, donation drives and collection bins, he said.
Some of that money was used to build Kids Village near Orlando, Fla., an amusement park with facilities for sick or disabled children. It was built completely with volunteer labor and donated funds, Wright said.
"It's to try to give one ray of sunshine during a dark period in their life," he said.
Over the past year, the Blacksburg Holiday Inn had contributed $4,000 that was raised by auctioning off donated items.
This past Thanksgiving, it had set up the collection bin, which was usually monitored around the clock but apparently was left unattended for a brief time Thursday night or Friday morning.
Wright said the $500 reward will be given to anyone who provides information leading to the return of the money or the arrest of anyone involved in the crime.
"And the reward was put up by the owner of the hotel, so it's not taking money from the children's fund," Wright said.
by CNB