Kissimmee Is Me Ambassador Program is a free initiative, for local hospitality employees, that offers both classroom training and personal hands-on experiences. These classes, sponsored by Experience Kissimmee and the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, reminds us all that we are the face of Kissimmee or "Kissimmee Is Me" when it comes to serving our guests.
Through this effort we are creating a team of Kissimmee Is Me Ambassadors by educating front-line service providers and their leaders about:
* Cross Cultural Guest Interactions
* The History of Kissimmee
* Raising the Bar on Customer Service
* The Must Sees and Dos in Osceola County
Participants are recognized on stage as a Kissimmee Is Me Ambassadors and receive the Ambassador lapel pin at the annual Spirit of Hospitality Awards Program.
This past week The Kissimmee Is Me Ambassador Program held their classroom training and hands-on experience at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. The classroom training started with Dr. Edwin Torres from Rosen College of Hospitality Management on how to interact with guests from around the world. The class then heard from a traditional Native family and how they survived on the swamps. At the Native American Village heritage was brought to life through the traditional stories and techniques of the culture that once thrived in Central Florida.
At the end of the day, the Kissimmee Is Me Ambassadors enjoyed an airboat ride as the captain took them into the breathtaking beauty of nature, including wetlands and wildlife.
For more information about classes or the Kissimmee Is Me Ambassadors, contact Robin Wells at 407-847-4407 or rwells@theosceolachamber.com
The Downtown Kissimmee Area Council awarded their June/July Downtown Beautification Award to Osceola Arts for their facilitation of the four new murals in Downtown Kissimmee.
If you haven’t headed downtown to check these out, they are a must! You can find Iron Horse at 16 Broadway, and Cosmic Owl just across from it at 8 Broadway. The Wild Ones can’t be missed at 120 Broadway, and Toho at Sunset can be found on the back of the Kissimmee Main Street Building at the corners of Broadway and Neptune.
“The idea for this project was to create something that the community could wrap itself around in a joyful way, create community dialogue, enjoy beautiful art in public places, and bring something special to the Downtown area,” said Osceola Arts’ Visual Arts Director Marilyn Cortes-Lovato. Congratulations Osceola Arts!
The DKAC presented their second Business Over Breakfast of the year on June 6. Officer Scott Reaves presented a room of about 65 people with CRASE: Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Event. We were surprised to learn that over 50% of active shooter events happen at places of business, and only half of those are committed by a shooter with a connection to the site. Some tips from this presentation include:
At the Business Over Breakfast, the DKAC helped Chamber Chairman Rob Rosen honor Back the Blue Award recipients from the Kissimmee Police Department for January, February, March, & June. Corporal Charlie Popp with Major Crimes was honored for January. Officer Darius Benjamin was named the February recipient for his dependable but calm demeanor in high-stress situations. Detectives JP Antepara and Justin Lunsford were the co-March winners for their dedication to the preservation of lives of others while risking their own. Officer Emerson Godin-Koehler was named the June winner for his life-saving efforts during a recent traffic incident. Officer Cyle Smallwood was honored as the April recipient at a separate event back in April. Congratulations to our officers of the month, and thank you for all you do to keep our community safe!
Business Over Breakfast was sponsored by Kissimmee Utility Authority and the City of Kissimmee. Attendees enjoyed breakfast catered by Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ.
