Nurturing the youth
The Bellevue Resort-Bohol, a premier five-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 resort 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 Parañaque City. Seeing the state of many children and out-of-school youth, STEPS began offering a school program to underprivileged kids.
Open to kids ages three to five, 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, the program includes them in its 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 program’s motto and philosophy: “School starts at home!”
The program 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.
To date, 1,062 children have participated in STEPS preschool and Phonics courses for elementary students, which includes children not only from Bohol but also from Cagayan de Oro, Jalajala in Rizal province, and more. Doljo in Bohol is the current beneficiary community of the STEPS program.
The Bellevue Resort-Bohol managing director Dustin Chan said, “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.”
(For more information about The Bellevue Group and the STEPS program, visit www.thebellevue.com and www.familiamissio.org.)