Joshua Ruzibuka receives Hilton’s CEO Light & Warmth Award

Madison Beach Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, a AAA Four Diamond Award-winning boutique resort, celebrates local Team Member Joshua Ruzibuka for receiving Hilton’s highest recognition, the CEO Light & Warmth Award. Ruzibuka was one of only 13 Team Members selected from Hilton’s global team for the annual award.

When Joshua was five years old, his village was raided by the Hutu’s, who considered the Tutsi’s to be unwelcome outsiders. The raid was violent, and Joshua’s parents and sisters were killed. He spent the next seven years begging and searching through trash to feed himself.

At age 12, Joshua found his way to a camp in Malawi, where the government was working with foreign governments, placing refugees in Australia, Germany, and the United States. Even at his young age, and with extremely limited resources, Joshua remembered what his mother had taught him; help others. There was no school at the camp in Malawi, so Joshua started one.

He also began preaching a message of love and hope to other refugees. At age 16, Joshua started his own ministry and called it Safina Tabernacle. Safina means vessel or boat. He called it that because it was to be a boat that floated above all the ethnic and nationality-driven hatred and violence.

After eight years in Malawi, Joshua received a letter one day. The letter said, “Welcome to America.” Joshua was 20 years old and had lived in refugee camps for 15 years.

Before long, Joshua was on a plane to New York. In JFK airport, he took a shower for the first time in his life. He could not believe how the warm water came right out of the wall. He never wanted to leave.

From New York, Joshua traveled to his new home in New Haven, CT. An organization called IRIS, International Refugee Integrated Services, helped him with a temporary place to live, and provided for his basic needs.

In Spring of 2013, Will Kneerim of IRIS contacted Madison Beach Hotel.

“Will asked that we keep IRIS in mind when we had job opening,” said Mathers. “Shortly thereafter, we needed a dishwasher. I called Will and he immediately came by with Joshua. Joshua spoke no English, but he was eager to work. We hired him.”

According to Mathers, it didn’t take long to recognize that Joshua was a special person. He worked hard, and despite having to ride the bus for over an hour, he was never late for work. He knew he needed to learn English to get ahead, so he studied and learned. He took every opportunity given to him in the kitchen and was soon helping prep for banquets. From there, he learned the various a la carte lines: pantry, fry, sauté, and grill. Today, he is a fully trained line cook.

“What’s remarkable about Joshua, is that he never stopped helping others,” said General Manager John Mathers. “Even on a dishwasher’s wage, he continued to support the school he started at the refugee camp in Malawi.”

In addition, Joshua began helping other African immigrants that were relocated to the New Haven area. He taught them English and American customs, and he helped them get jobs. He got a driver’s license and bought and old van that he used to transport his fellow refugees back and forth to work.

Even on his days off, he would drive someone to work, then return to give them a ride home when they were ready. He collected clothes and distributed them to the needy.

And, as a newly ordained pastor, he continued to preach a message of love and hope at the First Baptist Church of New Haven. The church had experienced years of declining membership and was threatened with closure until Joshua helped breathe new life into what is now a growing and thriving congregation made up of Congolese, Burundians, Rwandans and, like Joshua, Americans.

PHOTO CAPTION: This is the Kabumba School in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Joshua started this school in May 2020 with others he grew up with at the refugee camp in Malawi. He contributed half of his Hilton award money to the school. The other half of his money is being used to build a church in Dowa, Malawi, and another school in Lubumbashi, Dem Rep Congo.

In 2020, more than 650 Team Members from across Hilton’s global managed and franchise network were nominated by their colleagues for demonstrating the Hilton values at work and beyond. Finalists were selected by a committee of representatives from across the company with the 13 winners chosen by Hilton’s president and CEO, Christopher J. Nassetta.

Launched in 2011, the award is the highest honor within Hilton, an opportunity for the company to recognize and celebrate exceptional Team Members and franchise employees who embody the Hilton vision and mission, as well as its values of Hospitality, Integrity, Leadership, Teamwork, Ownership and Now.

A full list of winners is available here.

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The town of Madison, a quaint Connecticut haven, is easily accessible from New York and Boston by sea plane, train, and by car via major interstate highways.

Madison Beach Hotel is located at 94 West Wharf Road, Madison, Connecticut.

Image gallery may be accessed here.

Visit Madison Beach Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton. For more information on Curio Collection by Hilton, please visit newsroom.hilton.com/curio.

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About Madison Beach Hotel

Madison Beach Hotel is a AAA Four Diamond Award-winning boutique resort and was chosen as Top Performer by Hilton, the highest hotel award across all Hilton brands. The hotel, with 33 rooms offering luxurious accommodations with sweeping ocean views, private balconies, and beach, is part of Curio – A Collection by Hilton. Opened in May 2012, Madison Beach Hotel features The Wharf Restaurant with both dining room and porch seating, concierge spa, state-of-the-art fitness center and private yoga studio, and more than 5,000 square feet of private event space. Madison Beach Hotel is managed by Distinctive Hospitality Group.

Located at 94 West Wharf Road, Madison, Connecticut. For more information, please call: 203-245-1404 or visit: www.madisonbeachhotel.curiocollection.com | www.madisonbeachhotelweddings.com

About Curio Collection by Hilton

Curio Collection by Hilton is an upper-upscale, global portfolio of nearly 80 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts. Curio Collection properties provide travelers authentic, curated experiences through distinctly local offerings and unexpected amenities, while providing the benefits of Hilton and its award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors. Read the latest brand and hotel stories at newsroom.hilton.com/curio, and connect with Curio Collection on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 17 world-class brands comprising nearly 5,900 properties with more than 939,000 rooms, in 114 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company, Hilton earned a spot on the 2018 world’s best workplaces list and has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its 100-year history. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, more than 100 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money cannot buy, plus enjoy instant benefits, including digital check-in with room selection, Digital Key, and Connected Room. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About Distinctive Hospitality Group:

Founded in 2010, Distinctive Hospitality Group is led by president and owner, Lou Carrier who offers years of experience in the hospitality industry and has overseen several the most successful hotel establishments in the country. Lou launched DHG with a mission to build a portfolio of unique high-end hotels and comprised a solid team of seasoned hospitality professionals to work towards his dream. Located in Natick, MA, DHG is quickly building a name for its constant dedication to overseeing projects with lasting power and quality, ones that provide hotel guests and restaurant diners with the utmost in experience, service, style, and atmosphere. For more information, please visit: www.DistinctiveHospitalityGroup.com.