CHART Restaurant and Hotel Training Professionals Donate More Than 550 Teddy Bears to Orlando Police and Fire Departments During Orlando Conference

The presentation was made on Monday, February 7, 2011 outside the Hilton, located in the Walt Disney World Resort, where more than 140 hotel and restaurant training professionals gathered for CHART's 81st semi-annual Hospitality Training Conference.

“Stuffed animals bring comfort to people of all ages who need a hug in scary situations”

“It is amazing how something so simple can mean so much to a child in a traumatic situation,” commented Mike Amos, CHART President and Franchise Consultant for Perkins & Marie Callender’s, Inc. “It is heartwarming for our member companies, from all over the country, to bring bears here and know they will be used to help local children in time of need. This is our way of giving back to our conference’s host community.”

“Service projects like this one touch the heart of the community directly,” said Lieutenant Jeffrey White of Orlando Engine Company #10. “These calming bears give us one more tool to assess a situation and make a frightening event a little less traumatic for a child. We’re very appreciative of this gift.”

Community Service Officer Lyndy Moore touched attendees with four real-life stories about how the bears are used. “Stuffed animals bring comfort to people of all ages who need a hug in scary situations,” Ms. Moore recounted.

Community service projects have been incorporated into CHART conferences since 2002 as a way to give back to and help improve lives in the local community. In the past 3 years, CHART has collected and donated more than 1,500 teddy bears to local fire departments.

CHART will be hosting their 82nd semi-annual CHART Hospitality Training Conference at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV on July 30- August 2, 2011. For more information, please call 312-405-2634, email lmarovec@ameritech.net, or visit www.chart.org.

CHART, a non-profit professional association founded in 1970, is the leading resource for the development and advancement of hospitality training professionals and their organizations. With more than 400 members from more than 300 multi-unit restaurant and hotel companies, CHART represents a workforce of almost three 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.

 

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