THE BELLEVUE RESORT-BOHOL HELPS NURTURE A YOUNG GENERATION THROUGH ITS STEPS PARTNERSHIIP
The Bellevue Resort-Bohol, the premier 5-star hotel in Bohol, has not only become a respected fixture in the thriving community in the southern island, but also an effective agent of change, helping to uplift the community and bettering the lives of children and families through its charitable initiatives.
The Bellevue Resort-Bohol has been a proud partner of the STEPS schooling program since 2012. STEPS, which stands for “Specialized Training and Education for Philippine Students,” started out as a Sunday school initiative in 2008 in the impoverished areas in Paranaque. Seeing the state of many children and out-of-school youth, STEPS began offering a school program to underprivileged kids.
Open to kids ages 3-5, STEPS – unlike other school programs – requires the participation of parents in their children’s education. Choosing students is based on the willingness of parents to be part of the teaching process. Once the parents sign up for the school year, STEPS includes them in their seminars and orients them to the fundamentals of the program. In addition, the parents receive teaching materials to be used at home as this is in line with the STEP’s motto and philoso- phy that “School starts at home!”
In addition to pre-school education, STEPS also offers Phonics courses for the lower grade elementary students of the Doljo Elementary school, which further helps to solidify their reading and writing progress.
Todate, 1,062 children have participated in STEPS preschool and Phonics courses for elementary students, which includes children not only from Bohol, but also Cagayan de Oro, Jalajala in Rizal province, and more. Doljo in Bohol is the current beneficiary community of the STEPS program.
The principal of the local elementary school of Doljo, Mrs. Regina Sumaylo, recently said that her school produces the best students in the mu- nicipality of Panglao. “It’s because of the scholastic foundation which they receive at STEPS”, she said. She also added that in each grade level, among the top 20, usually 18 are STEPS graduates!
“Through our hotel brand, we aim to offer our guests a taste of the good life, and now through our initiatives and partnerships like STEPS, we aim to offer hope and guidance to the children. There is, indeed, a better life for them out there and education becomes the foundation and key to that future,” ends Dustin Chan, the Managing Director of The Bellevue Resort-Bohol.
For more information about The Bellevue Group and the STEPS program, visit www.thebellevue.com and www.familiamissio.org.