(Marketwire) - RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), and Christel House International today announced that RCI will return for the fifth year as the Title Sponsor of the RCI® Christel House Open® International Charity Golf Tournament.

Now in its ninth year, the global tournament will kick off on Monday, June 13, 2011, and take place at 17 sites in six countries. One hundred percent of the worldwide proceeds will go to programs and services that directly benefit the more than 3,200 children of Christel House.

Christel DeHaan, the co-founder of RCI, founded Christel House in 1998 with the goal of helping children around the world break the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient, contributing members of their societies. Since then, Christel House has expanded its programs and locations to serve more than 3,200 students, their families and communities, and employ over 250 dedicated professionals who help the children optimize their potential and achieve productive, self-sufficient lives.

"We are extremely excited to once again be the Title Sponsor of the RCI Christel House Open International Charity Golf Tournament. All of our associates take tremendous pride in supporting Christel House and the wonderful work it does year-in and year-out helping thousands of impoverished children and students around the world optimize their potential to achieve meaningfully productive and self-sufficient lives," said Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI. "Last year, the golf tournaments helped raise $490,000 for this worthy cause and with the help of our affiliates, developers, suppliers and partners we hope to exceed that total in 2011.

Added DeHaan: "It gives me immense joy to welcome back RCI as the Title Sponsor of the Christel House Open. As a leader within the timeshare industry, RCI is widely recognized for its commitment to social responsibility on a global scale and for its employees' passion in reaching out to those in need. We are deeply grateful that the children of Christel House are the beneficiaries of such wonderful generosity."

Approximately 1,500 golfers will tee off from sites in the U.S., Mexico, India, South Africa, Venezuela and the UK.

As the charity of choice for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), Christel House and the RCI Christel House Open International Golf Tournament are largely supported by developers, resorts and vendors in the timeshare industry. Christel House is also one of three signature charities of Wishes by Wyndham, the philanthropic program of Wyndham Worldwide. Founded in 1974, RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and is recognized within the industry for its longstanding history of social responsibility. For more information on the RCI Christel House Open, please visit www.chopen.org.

About RCI

RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the world's largest serviced vacation rentals business, providing access to approximately 97,000 vacation properties in nearly 100 countries. The vacation exchange business includes RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers, and The Registry Collection® program, the world's largest luxury exchange program. The vacation rentals business includes Hoseasons, cottages4you, Novasol®, Cuendet®, Landal GreenParks®, ResortQuest®, James Villa Holidays, Endless Vacation Rentals® and other renowned vacation rental brands through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world's largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit our media center.

RCI

RCI

RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with over 4,000 affiliated resorts in approximately 100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. Today, through RCI® Weeks, the traditional week-for-week exchange system, and RCI Points®, the industry's first global points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation options to its approximately 3.7 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information visit our media center, rciaffiliates.com or The RCI Blog. RCI also can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

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