When people are your biggest investment and the foundation of your business, as they are at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars to deserving individuals is a joy, an honor and a tradition.
Glenwood Hot Springs Resort relies on an influx of youthful workers every year to make world’s largest hot springs pool run smoothly and serenely for guests, especially during the peak season of summer. For area teens, working at the resort is often their first job—it’s the beginning of a career, the chance to be of service and build marketable skills.
Through work experience, the on-job-learning that comes with it and tuition assistance provided by Glenwood Hot Springs Higher Education Scholarship, the resort hopes to empower young people in their first jobs to go on to rewarding careers and ultimately make a difference in the communities in which they live.
The Glenwood Hot Springs Higher Education Scholarship is an annual endowment of $10,000, usually split between several worthy recipients and is pro-rated per semester over the course of the schooling. While anyone can apply, preference is given to current or former employees and their children. Past recipients have graduated from high schools throughout area, some have been homeschooled, others have been older and seeking to further their education.
The Glenwood Hot Springs Board of Directors established the Glenwood Hot Springs Higher Education Scholarship to acknowledge the role student employees play in the success of the resort. Since 1995, the Higher Education Scholarship has provided over $192,000 in scholarships to 46 high school graduates. This has allowed them to pursue any form of higher education—including attendance at a 4-year college or university, a community college or a trade school.
“This is the first formal job for many of our student employees and we work hard to guide them through the basic tenets of being responsible, reliable and committed team members,” John Bosco, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, said. “One of the most important charges of a strong community is to nurture our youth to become positive contributors to society. Education and work experience are tantamount to the ability of our children to succeed in our world.”
As President and Chief Executive Officer for Glenwood Hot Springs, it falls to Kjell Mitchell to notify the scholarship winners. “Glenwood Hot Springs is a firm believer in the value of education,” Mitchell said. “Presenting the Higher Education Scholarship to the deserving recipients is one of the highlights of my job.”
Summer or seasonal jobs at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort include working in the Grill as a hostess, busser, dishwasher, prep cook and line cook; as an admissions cashier, pool attendant, hotel front desk clerk, or with proper certifications as part of the lifeguarding team. Many student workers begin their employment at the resort during their freshman year of high school and come back annually to until they head off to the school of their choice.
As a long-time business supporter of youth and education, in addition to funding the Glenwood Springs Higher Education Scholarship, Glenwood Hot Springs Resort also makes financial contributions to YouthZone, scouting organizations, the high school Mock Trial team and Special Olympics, as well as other community-based organizations.