Tim Dunn/CapeCod.com.
SOUTH YARMOUTH – The Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce held its annual J1 Orientation Dinner at the Howard Lodge on Thursday night.
The dinner is designed for the J1 Students that will be working at Yarmouth businesses this summer. The event was organized in partnership with the Hello Summer J1 program located in Dennis.
“Tonight we have our J1 Orientation Dinner here at the Lodge in South Yarmouth,” said Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Vilbon.
“All of these students are here to help our local businesses and this is our way to welcome them to Yarmouth. These J1 students work in our businesses seasonally for us, and without them a lot of these businesses could not survive, so we’re very grateful to have them here.”
Students learned about bike safety, healthcare, opening a bank account, that police are their friends, how to contact their sponsor and listened to J1 success stories. The students are expected to encounter many cultural differences during their time on Cape.
While the event is meant to be educational, students were also given the opportunity to make new friends, wear silly costumes and take pictures in the Cape Capture Photo Booth. Students also were treated with music from DJ Patrick, ate sandwiches donated by Stop and Shop with a side of fresh popcorn from Route 28 Diner.
Vilbon says all students in the program have housing secured around the area.
“A lot of them housing and that’s secured before they even come here. So, they’re in different locations. Some of them are in houses, some of them are actually possibly in hotels that provide lodging for them. But, that is all secured before they come into the country,” Vilbon explained.
Participants were provided welcome bags from the Yarmouth Chamber containing pertinent information and goodies from local businesses.
“We’re just thrilled to host this event here in Yarmouth. I think this is our third year and we’ll continue to do it as long as our students are coming here,” Vilbon said.
The event was funded in part by the Town of Yarmouth Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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