The ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of Oregon Inc. (ACF) proudly announces a new program for hospitality industry culinary and management education assistance.

"Partners In Professionalism"

This program is a cooperative effort sponsored and supported by the ACF, its industry partners (associates) educators as well as many other stake holders committed to the success of the hospitality industry. To that end ACF has developed an educational scholarship program. (ACFEP) This program is titled “Partners in Professionalism” (PIP)

Mission:

To support the growth of the industry and the professionals within it by promoting and supporting an increased level of education, skill and professionalism.

This will be accomplished through the combined, cooperative efforts of ACFEP and its “Partners in Professionalism”.

The Program:
The ACF Education Program (ACFEP) will provide scholarship assistance to students already having been awarded traditional funding but who need additional special assistance, typically for initial transportation and/or housing, in order to take advantage of the award. ACFEP will award the assistance to hospitality industry professionals seeking career growth, wanting to increase their skills and knowledge of the industry, desiring to operate their own business successfully, enhance their incomes and professional credentials and/or find a more rewarding work environment. The program will endeavor to provide a minimum of fifteen limited scholarships per fiscal year.

Organization:

PIP is an exclusive endeavor of the ACF Chefs de Cuisine Society of Oregon Inc., IRS tax ID number 94-32473774. ACF is a 501 C-3 corporation. PIP will be operated under the ACF corporate structure and will be subject to all the laws, rules and regulations of the United States and State of Oregon, governing not for profit organizations. By laws, officers and directors, operating committees, fund raising programs along with policies and procedures will be provided upon request. Please visit the ACFEP page on the ACF web site, www.acforegonchefs.org or www.HospitalityIndustryResources.info for initial requests.
A six member ACFEP governing board of directors appointed by and serving at the pleasure of, the ACF board of directors. The ACFEP board make up will include one ACF Chef (at large) member, One ACF board member, one member from a peer trade associate, one industry related college (staff) representative, one student or graduate (alumni) of an industry educational institution and one at large industry representatives.
Five active committees will be appointed and maintained. They are:
- A scholarship review/award committee
- An executive committee made up of the ACFEP Chair, the ACF board representative and the Secretary
- A fund raising committee (separate and apart from traditional ACF fund raising activities)
- A financial review/audit committee
- A speakers bureau/public relations committee
In order to assure professionalism and continuity ACFEP board members will serve three year terms. Appointments will be cyclical.

Process:

ACFEP will work closely with the ACF membership, other industry trade associations; industry related education institutions as well as other industry stakeholders in order to identify potential, deserving recipients needing ACFEP’s special assistance scholarship.

In addition to the scholarship ACFEP will make every effort to identify and encourage internships for the recipients. Full time employment opportunities will be identified as appropriate. ACFEP will encourage its industry partners to fully support and provide internships when and wherever practicable.

Industry employers will be recruited and encouraged to support the PIP objectives, to sponsor in house (company) scholarship programs and to encourage their own employees to seek out personal and professional growth and excellence. PIP will monitor and report the effectiveness of the PIP program and the success of its scholarship recipients.

"Founders Club":

ACF Chef’s de Cuisine Society of Oregon Inc. Education Program (ACFEP) is organizing a formal “Founders Club” designed to support the ACFEP Partners In Professionalism (PIP) scholarship program. Membership will be limited to those industry partners who have originally helped fund the program and/or continue to fund and promote its mission. These individuals and/or companies are truly ACF’s partners in professionalism.

The ACFEP board recognizes it’s absolutely imperative that it never looses its zeal for recognizing and rewarding these partners. Some of the benefits of membership are outlined below. In a joint effort to sustain a significant return on our partner’s investment (in PIP) every six months the ACFEP executive and fund raising committees will evaluate the Club membership rewards program for effectiveness. All non performing benefits will be eliminated and new benefits added. The club reward program will be kept fresh and innovative.

Initial membership benefits being considered include:

- ACF board and ACFEP board jointly distribute an announcement, to the entire membership, recognizing and thanking each of the founders personally and publicly. This will go out in hard copy form via ordinary mail as well as a blanket email.

- A news release will be sent to all the hospitality industry buyers (that we can identify) as well as The Oregonian, Portland Tribune, Eugene Register Guard, Salem Statesman Journal, The Columbian and other major Northwest news papers explaining the PIP program thanking and acknowledging the founders and other sponsors for their support.

- Founding members given a very unique (high quality) personalized, name badge identifying them as founders of the scholarship program, to wear at all industry functions.

- Founder club members receive a (high quality) plaque indicating their membership and expressing ACF’s and ACFEP's appreciation and gratitude for their contribution to the industry.

- The original ten major contributors (founders) will be listed on PIP stationary as its “Original Founding Members”.

- A founder’s appreciation insert included in every ACFEP report to ACF members as well as all press releases whether to industry or public media.

- The ACFEP board of directors publishes and distributes a special founder’s club sponsor list twice a year. The purpose of the list will be to remind ACF and ACFEP members to regularly thank and support their sponsors.

- The Founders club member list printed in a boxed, stand alone section appearing at the top of any “general” sponsor list ACF may distribute. Included in this special boxed section will be a statement indicating the “To date” number of individuals the PIP program (and its sponsors) has assisted.

- Original founding members invited to participate in an annual Partners In Professionalism, sponsor’s drawing. The grand prize will be a six course dinner, provided by the ACFEP board, prepared and served by Instructors from the schools, ACF certified Chef and PIP volunteers. The dinner (for up to twelve guests) will be served in a home or other metro area location selected and provided by the winner of the drawing.

We invite you to join us in this wonderful education assistance program and to become a member of the prestigious "Partners In Professionalism Founders Club."

Follow up: Complete and submit the following form if you'd like us to contact you with additional information.