Christmas in July in Vegas at Opportunity Village

Aug 10, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2011

CHART Hotel and Restaurant Training Professionals Volunteer at Las Vegas' Opportunity Village Charity
23 conference attendees helped paint at Magical Forest, an amusement park open to people with intellectual disabilities.

Las Vegas, NV - The Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART, www.chart.org) celebrated Christmas in July in Las Vegas; providing much joy for those involved with Opportunity Village and the many families it serves. Twenty-three CHART members and guests came a day early to the conference to give back to the host city and spread some early holiday delight. On Saturday, July 30, 2011, the volunteers traveled to Magical Forest, a small amusement park open during the holiday season to people with intellectual disabilities, where they spent the day painting, cleaning and making small repairs.

"Our goal was to bring magic back to the Magical Forest. We weren't just painting the holiday props, but sharing our love and hope with local Las Vegas children," said Jen Swan Michaud, Director of Learning and Development for CSM Lodging and incoming president of CHART. "Our service events, while creating bonds among members, also provide our members with an example of volunteerism they can take back to their restaurants and hotels."

Dawn Newburg, Volunteer Director for Opportunity Village said, "Eighty percent of our programs are self-funded, so we couldn't do anything without our volunteers."

"The four guiding principles of CHART are Learning, Sharing, Growing, and Caring," stated Mike Amos, Franchise Consultant for Perkins & Marie Callender's Inc. and immediate past president of CHART. "These services events show how much our members care by giving back to the local community. A special thanks to CHART member Michael Santos, VP of Operations & Human Resources, who provided lunch courtesy of Raising Canes." 

Community service projects have been incorporated into CHART's semi-annual conferences since 2002. Photos, with captions, of this 17th semi-annual community service event can be found at CHART's News Room Photo Gallery.   CHART hosted more than 250 attendees at its' 82nd Semi-annual Hospitality Training Conference at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV on July 31 - August 2, 2011.

For more information, please call 312.405.2634, email lmarovec@ameritech.net, or visit www.chart.org.

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CHART (www.chart.org), a non-profit professional association founded in 1970, is the leading resource for the development and advancement of hospitality training professional and their organizations. With more than 450 members from more than 300 multi-unit restaurant and hotel companies, CHART represents a workforce of almost five million. CHART includes all facets of hospitality training, learning and performance professionals; from entry level to senior executive. CHART's mission is to develop hospitality training professionals to advance industry training practices and improve operational results by providing access to education, tools and resources. 

Opportunity Village (www.opportunityvillage.org) is a not-for-profit organization that serves people in the Las Vegas community with intellectual disabilities, to enhance their lives and the lives of the families who love them. Opportunity Village is dedicated to helping people with severe intellectual and related disabilities become the very best they can be. Through vocational training, community employment, day services, advocacy, arts and social recreation, people with severe disabilities are able to find new friends, realize future career paths, seek independence and community integration and unleash creative passions. The office can be contacted at 702-259-3700.

For more information contact:   

Tara Davey
CHART
800.463.5918
chart@chart.org

Lisa L. Marovec, FMP
CHART
312.405.2634
lmarovec@ameritech.net