The Bahamas, November 29, 2024 – The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society (ERLS) invites the public to experience a unique blend of Bahamian art and cultural preservation with their exclusive holiday ornament collection. Since its inception in 2020, this 10-year limited collection has, and will continue to play a vital role in funding the restoration and preservation of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Lighthouse in Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco, which is the only remaining hand-wound light station in the world!

Over the past four years, the Society has partnered with talented Bahamian artists to produce a new annual holiday ornament. These unique keepsakes capture beautiful  perspectives of Hope Town’s natural beauty and maritime history through the diverse expressions of each artist.

This year’s ornament features the artwork of local Abaconian artist, Samantha Sawyer who is presently pursuing a degree in painting at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Sawyer’s detailed design skills and vibrant color palette in the 2024 ornament are deeply influenced by her love for the Abacos. Her work reflects a profound affection for her home as she intricately weaves precious memories into her design. Sawyer states: “Growing up on Abaco, I have always held a special appreciation for the lighthouse—not only for its beauty and rich history but also for the resilience and hope it has come to symbolize for so many of us.”

The ornaments will be available for sale at Doongalik by November 23, and will also be available at the ERLS booth at the Bahamas National Trust’s Jollification event.

“It is an honour to promote and sell these fundraising ornaments each year,” states Pam. “As the proud granddaughter of lighthouse keeper, Erskine Jones, who worked at the Elbow Reef Lighthouse where two of my uncles were born, I am committed to working along with ERLS for the preservation of the lighthouse in order to safeguard its history for future generations.”

PRESS RELEASE

FROM THE INTEGRITY COMMISSION

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Tuesday, 29 November 2024: This series is intended to encourage residents and locals to blow their whistle and stand for what is right.

In a time when transparency and accountability are essential to restore public trust, a new dramatisation series; part 1 entitled “Whistle-Blower” seeks to shine a light on the virtues of integrity, honesty, and good faith in public life. This series explores the various realities faced by TCI citizens and the public in our daily lives and encourages persons to blow their whistle, to speak truth and advocate for a just and ethical society.

“Whistle-Blower” is a five-scene collection of compelling prose pieces that weave together fictional videos and real-life experiences to highlight the need for moral courage of individuals to stand against wrong, corruption, unfairness, and negligence in public life. Each scene captures a particular experience of the emotional, ethical, and societal dilemmas encountered by whistle-blowers, emphasising the values that sustain democracy and justice.

The series is about taking a stand and reporting and exposing wrongdoing. It is a call to action for everyone to embrace honesty and good faith as guiding principles. The dramatisation in the scenes seek to inspire locals and residents to uphold these values in their personal and professional lives, fostering a culture of accountability and fairness.

The following video is the second of five episodes in this series:

• Episode 2:  Something for me!
  • This episode depicts moral wrong of taking what does not belong to you, and the importance of calling wrong, wrong and reporting it. https://youtu.be/NGJqaeLssfQ

“In a world clouded by misinformation and moral compromise, the courage to stand by the truth is our strongest weapon. ‘Whistle-Blower’ encourages and salutes those who champion honesty and integrity, often at a great personal cost”.

Thank you for helping the Commission to lead in combating corruption, promoting integrity, honesty and good faith in public life by playing your part as we fight corruption together.

For more information about the Integrity Commission or the “Whistle-Blower” series, please contact the Integrity Commission at telephone numbers (649)946-1941/(946) 941-7847/(946) 338-3334 and/or visit our website at www.integritycommission.tc.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, November 29, 2024 – Over 6000 residents are smiling a little brighter for the holidays following the recently concluded 1000 Smiles free dental clinics, and oral health education workshops implemented by the Sandals Foundation and its partners, United States based non-profit Great Shape! Inc.

As part of its continued commitment to community health and development, the Sandals Foundation coordinated logistics for a series of public dental clinics at the Church of God of Prophecy in Five Cays and at the clinic at the Public Hospital in Providenciales. Beaches Resorts team members also benefited from the services which included cleaning, filling, extractions, root canals, x-rays, dentures, dental sealants and fluoride treatment, through a staff clinic held at the Key West Conference Room on resort.

Shantelle Senior-Clarke, Project Manager of Great Shapes! Inc. in highlighting the continued success of this year’s initiative, noted, “For the three weeks of dental clinics which included the post operational phase, there were a total of 1157 cleanings, 968 fillings, 724 extractions, 75 X-rays, 260 dental sealants, 725 fluoride treatments, 30 root canals, and 82 follow – ups.” She further added, “It was a lot of hard work but well worth it.”

This year’s success was made possible through the collaboration of key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and Human Services, Turks and Caicos Islands Government Dental Clinic.

Together, they successfully managed the logistics of one hundred and forty two (142) volunteer dental care practitioners and non-dental professionals from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean over a one month period.

Dr. Maria Tuason, a volunteer with the programme for over five years who also took her 12 year old grand-daughter shared, “one of the most rewarding part of my visits has always been the interaction with children. Both adults and children are afraid at times of the procedures but whenever I talk with them and explain what I will be doing, they usually feel more comfortable in allowing me to provide them with the service. This year was no different as I got the chance to provide quality care for the people of Turks and Caicos Islands and gave them back their confidence with their smiles.”

In addition to the dental services, residents also had their capacity built in preventative oral health care education. The oral health education team visited twelve schools throughout Providenciales sharing in a fun and engaging activities with students and distributing oral healthcare packages for continued use.

By targeting children, it is hoped that healthy dental hygiene habits will be developed at an early age. Early Childhood teacher at BEST Institute Dawn Brivett-Ford shared, “Early education helps to prevent common dental problems like gum disease and cavities. Learning about oral health with a fun team like our volunteers, also helps children develop a positive attitude towards dental care. A positive impression in childhood will last for a lifetime.”

Orville Morgan, Public Relations Manager said while the scheduled visits coincided with schools’ mid – term breaks, “We were willing to visit two schools in one day when necessary because this is valuable information being shared.”

“Maintaining good oral health is important at every age but is particularly important during childhood, Morgan noted, “Poor oral health has been linked to health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory infections. With that being said, dental health education can help children take control of their oral health. It is likely to boost their self-confidence, academic performance may improve and also their quality of life.”

Managing Director of Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Sandals Foundation Ambassador, James McAnally affirmed the resort’s promise to delivering quality service to the community in support of the wellbeing of families. “We are as committed to the residents of the Turks and Caicos, a large percentage of whom make up our workforce. Knowing that there are families in need of dental care who cannot afford to visit the dentist, motivates us to continue our partnership with Great Shapes! Inc. Each year the volunteers provide quality dental care and they work tirelessly to serve as many patients as possible.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS

Header – Dr Janice A.M. Baron, (left) Chief Dental Officer within the Ministry of Health and Human Services examines the Beaches Turks and Caicos dental clinic space at the Key West conference room along with Dental Hygienist Sophia Harris.

1st insert – One of the dental hygienist with the Great Shape Inc! 1000 Smiles programme takes her time to provide the best service to one of the clients at the Church of God of Prophecy in Five Cays at the community clinic

2nd insert – The Beaches Turks and Caicos resort team members had a full team of dental professionals in the comfort of the Key West Village conference which was converted into a dental clinic for two weeks, here a dental hygienist provides services to on of the team members

 3rd insert – The Church of God of Prophecy hall for the second consecutive year was converted into a state of the art dental clinic where clients were able to receive various services from the Great Shape Inc! 1000 Smiles dental team for two weeks