US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
Membership Committee: USVIHTA held a Membership Mixer on April 20 at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Members enjoyed a sail with the STYC Sailing Center staff, hor d’oeuvres and cocktails while hearing the latest industry news and making business connections. Thank you to the St. Thomas Yacht Club for hosting this fun member event!
Advocacy Committee: The sin tax was passed in late March. We would like to remind members that the tax will go into effect on May 1.
Education and Training Committee: USVIHTA Lorette Resch Scholarship Applications Open Through May 5
Applications for the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association’s Lorette Resch Scholarship are open until May 5.
To be eligible to participate in the Lorette Resch Scholarship/Loan Program, the applicant must be a high school graduate in order to meet the requirements for admission into the hospitality/restaurant management program or business administration program at the University of the Virgin Islands or other USVIHTA approved hospitality schools. The applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands for at least five years.
In addition to completing the application, the applicant must submit a letter from the high school he or she attended, at least three letters of recommendation or references, a student profile form, high school transcripts, a copy of the applicant’s completed Financial Aid Form and a 500 word or one page essay. The association will also conduct a personal interview with the applicant. For more detailed information about the items that must accompany the application, please pick up the application form or download it from the usvihta.com website.
The USVIHTA Education and Training Fund was established over two decades ago in an effort to aid youth in the community who are seeking higher education with a concentration in hospitality. Funds for the program are raised by the USVI Culinary Team, during the USVIHTA Holiday Party and through donations by USVIHTA members. In 2014, the scholarship was posthumously named in honor of Lorette Resch, honorary member on the USVIHTA board of directors and generous scholarship contributor. Students are awarded scholarships based on their dedication to hospitality as well as their academic and extracurricular achievements.
Please visit the USVIHTA office at 4002 Raphune Hill Ste. #304 on St. Thomas to pick up an application or click here to download the application. Contact Nicole Friday at nicole@usvihta.com or 340-774-6835 with any questions.
Environmental Committee: USVI Earth Day March and Clean-ups
We would like to extend our gratitude to the more than 100 people who participated in the USVI Earth Day March & Celebration held on St. Thomas and St. Croix on April 22. The USVI Earth Day March & Celebration joined three events organized for Washington D.C. and hundreds of other communities across the country: the 2017 Earth Day Campaign, the March for Science and the People’s Climate March. The theme for Earth Day 2017 was Environmental & Climate Literacy. The March for Science championed robustly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. The People’s Climate March focused attention on social, economic and climate justice.
The 2017 USVI Earth Day March & Celebration included several activities on St. Thomas and St. Croix that stood in solidarity with the themes, missions and goals of our sister organizations campaigning in Washington D.C. and elsewhere on Earth Day. Here in the territory, we featured earth day marches, science talks and demonstrations, and contests for kites made from recycled materials on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. In addition to the recycled kite contests, we invited student classrooms, church and youth organizations to enter a contest for posters or performances around the 2017 Earth Day theme, the March for Science theme or Peoples Climate March theme.
Organizations that participated in the 2017 USVI Earth Day events included: Virgin Islands Conservation Society, Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John, St. Croix Environmental Association, the University of the Virgin Islands, EPSCOR, VIMAS, VI Waste Management Authority, Coral World Ocean Park and Scoops & Brew.
We would also like to thank the 30 participants who assisted with the three clean-ups at Water Bay and Coki Beach on April 23, collecting over 50 bags of trash. Coral World Ocean Park, Blue Flag USVI, the Virgin Islands Conservation Society – Smith Bay Watershed Project, the Smith Bay Community Action Foundation and community volunteers joined forces to collect trash on land in two areas as well as in the water. This year’s theme was Environmental & Climate Literacy, allowing organizers to educate the community about how our activities on land directly affect water quality in the marine environment around us.