ONE of the greatest manifestations of love is service to others.

The hospitality industry, composed of professionals in the fields of tourism and hotel and restaurant management, is the best example of this service.

We visit a place not merely because it’s boasting of magnificent scenery, but also because of the personal experience we get from the warm welcome of the people we come in contact with.

Although it seems fairly easy, we know that a lot of intensive training and character formation are needed to build a strong foundation for a life of service.

We know that although the hospitality industry has all its perks, it also has its own share of challenges. Erratic schedules and duties on holidays, exhaustion from long hours, and dealing with difficult people are only a few of these harsh realities.

But when there is love for service and the sanctification of work, service takes on a deeper meaning. The tasks become part of a greater purpose. They become steps towards fulfilling a mission to create a more pleasant and beautiful human experience, and therefore a person begins to take pride in doing an excellent job in any assignment.

Integrity becomes a priority.

And though there may be frustrations and mistakes along the way, there is a way to straighten the path with the right moral compass and the willingness to learn for the better.

The Visayan Center for Hotel and Restaurant Services (VCHRS), a non-stock, non-profit institution, hopes to achieve all these by providing the less-privileged young women of Negros Occidental the opportunity for employment and entrepreneurship through technical skills training and work ethics imbued with Christian values.

Mentoring is integrated into the Tesda-accredited Housekeeping NCII program, and other facilitated trainings such as Food and Beverage Services, Bread and Pastry Production, and Cookery, to instill exemplary work standards.

Last March 29, VCHRS celebrated the successful completion of its second batch of scholars with a closing exercise at the Jake’s Hall of Nature’s Village Resort. The scholars are now on their way to full-time employment in the different VCHRS partner hotels and restaurants in the province.

Led by the Board of Trustees’ chairperson Cristina Montelibano and school directress Maria Teresa Javellana, the scholars and their families shared the afternoon inspired by the message of guest speaker Maria Regina Bautista-Martin. The scholars also gave a solemn performance of “Ode to Joy” and “Amare Et Servire,” directed by no less than the renowned pianist Angie Rubin-Hasibar, who hails from the province and is now a resident of Vienna, Austria.

In its continued mission to help alleviate poverty and towards total human development, VHCRS is inviting more young women for a full scholarship opportunity for its June 2019 opening.

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To know more about The Visayan Center for Hotel and Restaurant Services, please visit their website at https://vchrs.wordpress.com or call 034-431-5477.