Graduation Shines Spotlight on Omni/JHI Partnership!
JHI graduate Stevi Otero with her new boss, Scott Stuckey from the Omni. Stuckey was honored as JHI Advocate of the Year for 2008.
The evening sparkled. Friends and families … fine dining … inspiring stories of challenges overcome and goals achieved. For graduates of the Jacksonville Hospitality Institute, the formal elegance of an evening at the Omni Jacksonville Hotel marked a meaningful milestone in their lives. For the founders, sponsors, supporters, staff and, most particularly, the partners of the Jacksonville Hospitality Institute (JHI), it was a night of gratitude and triumph.
“Tonight we celebrate our graduates and the bright future they have chosen to pursue,” declared The Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee, III, Founder, Chairman and CEO of FreshMinistries. “We are grateful to our many community partners for helping the Jacksonville Hospitality Institute make such a positive impact in our city. Our special thanks go out tonight to our sponsors: Comcast, Winn-Dixie Foundation, Worksource, World Golf Villages, Hyatt, Radisson, Ramada Inn, Residence Inn Marriott and the Omni Jacksonville Hotel.”
Dr. Lee talked of the far-reaching significance of the JHI partnerships that began forming long before the November 2006 opening of the Institute at Beaver Street Enterprise Center. “These partnerships will continue to grow and touch even more lives as each cycle of graduates gives back to their family, their neighborhood and their community.” Dr. Lee added that he has recently returned from Washington, D.C. where, as a member of the President’s Council on Financial Literacy, he worked closely with President Bush and with guest speaker, Brent Orrell, Acting Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor, on behalf of underserved citizens in Jacksonville and across the nation.
“Brent Orrell has had a strong presence in Jacksonville for several years as a supportive partner in many of our FreshMinistries initiatives,” said Dr. Lee. “We are honored by his presence here tonight.” In his introduction of Secretary Orrell, Dr. Lee described an illustrious career in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives; as former Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). He talked of Orrell’s work with the Employment and Training Administration in job development services to poor and underserved communities, and noted that Mr. Orrell was the principle author of the Ready4Work project that assisted men and women returning from prison to re-enter the workforce. Secretary Orrell also implemented Touching Lives and Communities, a technical assistance program encouraging state and local workforce development officials to partner with faith-based and community organizations in the delivery of formula grant-funded job development programs.
Congratulating the graduates and their families, Secretary Orrell talked of his past involvement in New Hope, another FreshMinistries initiative, and referred to the JHI program as a God-given opportunity for new life, new hope and a new beginning.
“It was truly a night to remember,” said Todd Jones, Director of JHI, reflecting on Orrell’s inspiring speech, the touching testimonies of several graduates that brought tears to the eyes of all in attendance, and the standing ovation received by the Omni’s General Manager Scott Stuckey when he accepted the first-ever JHI Advocate of the Year Award.Established by the Institute to recognize a community partner that daily affects the economic and social well-being of Northeast Florida residents, the presentation of the Advocate Award to the Omni Jacksonville Hotel was timely indeed.
“The ongoing commitment of the Omni to our programs and students has been remarkable,” said Jones, describing Stuckey’s consistent provision of furnishings, materials, and guidance to the Institute, as well as his regular personal commitment to speak at the Institute’s new student orientations. “Scott has inspired and hired many of our graduates,” said Jones. “Our partnership with the Omni Jacksonville Hotel is passionate and productive. It is a prime example of what a true partnership represents, each of us filling the needs of the other and working toward the same goal – a brighter future for the citizens of our First Coast Community.”