Sandos Hotels & Resorts has officially announced their first celebrity partnership with Cesar Millan’s non-profit organization, The Cesar Millan PACK Project. The partnership will result in an engaging, charitable program for guests of Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and local Riviera Maya citizens this coming April. The collaboration with Cesar’s non-profit organization is intended to bring awareness to animal welfare — particularly Mexico’s shelter dogs, support the philanthropic pillar of Sandos’ brand culture and bring Cesar back to his home country for an instructional conference and adoption drive.
“As a boy, I learned dog behavior while working on my grandfather’s farm in Ixpalino,” said Millan. “I was fortunate to come to America and eventually get a TV show that teaches the world about what I learned on the farm. I’m looking forward to coming home to Mexico to help local shelters find permanent homes for abandoned dogs.”
Spanning from Saturday, April 23 to Sunday, April 24, 2016, the program will begin with a visit to local shelters from Cesar himself. Grand Pet, manufacturers of Cesar’s premium quality dog food brand, will be donating 2,000 pounds of food to the shelters. The same day, Sandos Caracol will host a press conference giving local, national and U.S. media the opportunity to chat with Cesar about his rescue work and the activities of his non-profit organization to educate and bring awareness to the plight of abandoned dogs.
On April 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., guests will be directed to a full program of activities surrounding the event and an onsite “street market” where each local shelter will have a booth offering more information on the adoption process, merchandise to sell (with proceeds going towards the shelter dog’s needs) and a representative accepting donations of supplies or money. In the evening, up to 500 guests will have the opportunity to hear Cesar speak about dog behavior in the resort’s theater. His talk will feature interactive, hands-on work by Cesar and a few dogs selected from local shelters. The presentation will show how adaptable the dogs are from the shelters. Cesar will also discuss the importance of adopting from local animal shelters and explain how to select the right dog for your family and living situation.
During Sandos Caracol’s last food drive, they were able to gather 2,600 pounds of food for local organizations and hope to double their numbers this time. “This program is very near and dear to ours hearts, specifically at Sandos Caracol as an eco-resort,” said Heidi Verschaeve, director of business development. “Be it humans or animals, our brand is deeply committed to giving back to the community, and for this particular initiative we couldn’t think of a better person to align ourselves with than Cesar Millan. We truly hope that together we can help support the organizations caring for these animals in need, educate the public and most importantly find forever homes for these dogs.”
Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
All revenue generated from the initiative will go directly to local animal shelters and adoption or rescue organizations.
Meet & Greet Tickets: $75 (includes two-hour cocktail party with open bar, vegan hors d’oeuvres and photo opp with Cesar)
VIP Tickets: $250 (includes access to Meet & Greet, VIP dinner with Cesar, surprise show in a jungle setting, day pass to resort and its amenities, and access to the April 24 conference)
For more info or to buy tickets, visit: sandos.com/cesarmillan
(Photos: Courtesy of Sandos Hotels & Resorts and The Cesar Millan PACK Project)