Panama City Beach, Fla. (October 15, 2008)—The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach announced the first award presentation to a participating school in their Resort to Quality Education (RQE) program, which began in the spring of 2008. The RQE program was created in an effort to promote the vacation properties within the Resort Collection while supporting education and contributing to schools.

Any school may participate in the program simply by informing parents, teachers and school supporters about the RQE offer through flyers, posters, school web sites or any other appropriate means of communication. Every time a teacher, student, parent or school supporter makes a reservation with any Resort Collection property and gives the name of the participating school, a 20% discount will be given off the room rate. The Resort Collection will then give 5% of the total room revenue accrued under that school’s name back to the school every quarter.

Recently, The Resort Collection awarded the first RQE program check. On October 10, 2008, The Resort Collection’s Business Development Manager and local Director of RQE, Heather Walsh, presented a quarterly check for $1195.60 to Jim Arrington, headmaster of Macon-East Montgomery Academy, located in Cecil, Alabama.

President of the RQE program, Mike O’Malley, said, “I am honored and blessed to be involved in the development of the RQE program that offers schools the opportunity to fund future educational programs in a creative way.  For years, our resort properties have witnessed families enjoying our accommodations and this program gives us the ability to send a little of us home with them.  We can’t wait to see how these funds are used by the participating schools and how we can further expand our participation in promoting quality education.”