WELCOME
Letter from the President
TOGETHER FOR OUR FUTURE
BY SARAH OATES | ALASKA CHARR PRESIDENT & CEO
In the previous issue , I wrote about ways in which CHARR is working to mitigate ongoing and worsening workforce issues of the hospitality industry . You will read in this
“ issue that we raised over $ 52,000 last month during the 20th Annual Selman Memorial Golf Tournament for the Alaska CHARR Educational Fund ! Those proceeds go toward $ 30,000 in scholarships for students pursuing careers in the Alaska hospitality industry . This year ’ s contributions marked the second highest amount in tournament history , second only to the massive record set in 2019 and coming at a critical time for our industry .
You will also read in this issue that our next major event will be our 50th Annual CHARR Convention which will take place in Las Vegas this year . Some of you may wonder why the Alaska CHARR Board of Directors ( BOD ) chose an out-of-state location during a year when Alaska businesses need as much support as possible . You may also have concerns about whether the tens of thousands of dollars in funds raised during the live auction for charity at each year ’ s convention will come back to an Alaska charity in 2021 .
When the pandemic forced us to cancel the 2020 CHARR Convention , Juneau was slated to host in 2021 . However , the combination of federal requirements and Canada closing its borders meant that most cruise ships were barred from visiting Alaska yet again in 2021 . With the pending absence of tourism in southeast Alaska again this year , many of our Juneau members were contemplating opening for a shorter season or whether to open at all this year .
FOR THE CHARITY AUC- TION THIS YEAR , THE 2021 CONVENTION COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED TO DONATE HALF OF THE PROCEEDS TO THE ALASKA PROSTART PROGRAM , WHICH BRINGS CULINARY AND RESTAU- RANT SKILLS TO OVER 1,000 HIGHSCHOOL ALL OVER THE STATE
The BOD considered this will of the membership along with the fact that most other Alaska communities were not quite prepared to host this huge event with local restrictions still uncertain at the time .
“
STUDENTS
• pandemic recovery
• workforce development
For the charity auction this year , the 2021 Convention Committee has decided to donate half of the proceeds to the Alaska ProStart program which brings culinary and restaurant management skills to over 1,000 high school students all over the state of Alaska . With our significant workforce challenges , the Alaska ProStart program has never been more essential to our industry .
The other half of the proceeds will be divided proportionally to a local charity in each of our eight affiliate communities around the state . Alaska CHARR will coordinate with each local affiliate and let them determine which charity should receive the funds . While the 50th Annual Convention itself will not take place in Alaska , we hope you will safely gather with us there for some incredible fun and great speakers :
• effective social media marketing for your business
• new AMCO enforcement procedures and proactive education
• Title 04 updates
• diversity and inclusion
• a presentation from UnitedHealth Group about new health care programs available to members and employees
As a result , our Juneau Convention Committee ( made up of numerous businesses in Juneau ) conducted a survey of the entire membership and requested in March that the Alaska CHARR BOD consider an alternate location for the 2021 Convention .
57 % of the survey respondents selected Las Vegas as a location where they would like the 2021 Convention to be held .
Please join us October 25-29 for an opportunity to raise funds that will support our communities around Alaska and come Together for Our Future !
At your service ,
ALASKA CHARR MAGAZINE | 6