This past summer kids from the Boys Town New England Bazarsky Portsmouth Campus went on a lot of fun outings, including a Newport Cruise, Red Sox baseball and Revolution soccer games and the always enjoyable trip to Six Flags. But for three kids, Chloe, Cara and Simon, their summer may be long remembered as the time they started their professional careers.
Thanks to a newly established partnership between Boys Town New England and the Newport Restaurant Group, the three kids took part in a six-week onboarding program that taught each of them many different aspects of the restaurant business. They were also competitively paid while they were learning. After completing the program successfully, each has been offered a job either at the Boat House Restaurant in Tiverton or Food Love in Middletown.
“One of our goals this year was to start a corporate partnership program with area businesses," Glenn Hofmann, Boys Town New England Development Director, explained. “The key component for us was that we wanted it to be a true partnership in every way. We want our partners to understand and believe in the Boys Town mission and to help us enhance the experience of every boy, girl and family we work with. To say that the Newport Restaurant Group embodies what we were looking for in a partner is an understatement. Their commitment to our kids and Boys Town, in general, will have an impact for many years and serve as the model for other businesses."
The expectation is that this is just the start of the Restaurant Academy portion of the partnership. Already several other kids on campus have expressed an interest in learning about the restaurant business. Boys Town and the Newport Restaurant Group, which includes 14 restaurants from Newport to Boston, are planning to expand the opportunities to the Boys Town Foster Family Services® program in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Additionally, Boys Town plans to conduct Common Sense Parenting® classes specifically for Newport Restaurant Group employees.
“Our new relationship with Boys Town New England has been especially rewarding," said Tobey Sanborn, Director of Training and Development for Newport Restaurant Group. “Touring the campus, understanding their mission and being able to see how far the kids develop through a program like this are exciting. Each of the kids worked hard in our culinary program with chef instructors. I'm excited to see how they grow in our industry of culinary and hospitality positions."