TCI News
Sandals Foundation Spread Christmas Cheer in Grand Turk
Providenciales, 21 December, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Sandals Foundation-the charitable arm of the Sandals & Beaches brands- partnered with interCaribbeanAirways recently to bring over 800 pounds of toys and gifts to the children of Grand Turk spreading Christmas joy to over 500 students.
The gifts were donated by the Sandals Foundation in collaboration with Hasbro- an American based toy and board games Company-as part of the foundation’s annual Christmas treats to local schools and commitment to more outreach in the family islands.
The donation marks Sandals Foundation’s second collaboration with interCaribbean Airways as the airline sponsored airfare for Sandals Foundation representatives to travel from Providenciales to Grand Turk and waived all fees for transporting the toys.
Jamie McAnally, General Manager Beaches Turks and Caicos noted, “We always look forward to our annual Christmas Treat and this year our resort and philanthropic arm aimed to reach children of Grand Turk as we expand our outreach to the neighboring islands. I am proud of the work that our foundation is doing in impacting lives throughout the Turks and Caicos and this latest donation is evident of our commitment to the children who are the future of these islands.
Trevor Sadler, CEO of interCaribbean Airways noted “At interCaribbean we are committed to supporting the communities in the countries we serve and it is part of our social responsibility as the flagship airline of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a privilege for us to support children and that is why we have joined with the Sandals Foundation bringing nearly 800 pounds of toys at this special time of the year and hope The Sandals Foundation led initiative brings joy to our school-age children in the Turks and Caicos Islands”
Gwenn Harvey, Principal of the Ona Glinton Primary School commended both companies for their donation to the school; “we are extremely grateful to the Sandals Foundation and interCaribbean Airways for their donation of Christmas toys to the children of Ona Glinton Primary School. Sandals Foundation has been very supportive of our school and we commend their efforts to support education and the growth and development of our children.”
Juliet Thelwell, principal of Eliza Simmons Primary School thanked the Sandals Foundation and interCaribbean Airways for the donations to both schools noting that “the gifts will help to spark the Christmas joy in the hearts of our children this year.”
Last week, Sandals Foundation donated toys to students of the Ianthe Pratt Primary School. Over 200 children were invited to the resort to take part in the annual Christmas treat which included art and craft activities with travel agents of the STAR Awards and donated toys from Sandals Foundation and Hasbro.
Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation says the annual event has been a success thanks to the continued support of committed partners.
“Every year we are incredibly grateful to our partners, guests and team members who volunteer their time to wrap gifts, prepare meals and coordinate one of a kind events for the children. It is truly through this sustained support that make our work to improve the lives of the Caribbean children and people possible.”
As the foundation closes another year, Clarke extended holiday greetings to the Turks and Caicos Islands and noted that the foundation will continue to support education, environment and community development initiatives.
Sandals Foundation
The Sandals Foundation is a non-profit organization launched in March 2009 to help Sandals Resorts International continue to make a difference in the Caribbean. All costs associated with administration and management is supported by Sandals International so that 100% of every dollar donated goes directly towards funding impactful and meaningful initiatives within the key areas of Education, Community and Environment.
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American worldwide toy and board game company. It is the largest toy maker in the world in terms of stock market value, and third largest with revenues of approximately $5.12 billion.[2] Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of Kenner, Parker Brothers, and Milton Bradley, among others. Among its products are Transformers, G.I. Joe, Power Rangers, Rom, Micronauts, M.A.S.K., Monopoly, Furby, Nerf, Twister, and My Little Pony. The Hasbro brand also spawned TV shows to promote its products, such as Family Game Night on the Discovery Family network, a joint venture with Discovery, Inc. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The majority of its products are manufactured in East Asia.
interCaribbean Airways
interCaribbean Airways, Ltd.[1] (formerly known as Air Turks & Caicos) is a passenger airline based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The airline offers scheduled domestic and regional services from its hub at Providenciales, Turks & Caicos and Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to multiple destinations in Antigua, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. interCaribbean Airways also operates domestic flights in Jamaica between Kingston and Montego Bay, the first non-Jamaican airline in over 50 years of Jamaica independence to be given such route rights. The company provides charter flights as well.
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, January 20, 2022 – The Turks and Caicos has recorded its 32nd death related to COVID-19.
A Ministry of Health press release informed that the individual who was in quarantine in Grand Turk and requested
emergency aid on Tuesday; response came from the public health team in Grand Turk.
The person, who we are told is a special needs young woman – was unvaccinated and had underlying medical conditions.
The death rate in the Turks and Caicos of both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons has climbed alarmingly this year. In the 21-month period from March 2020 when the country recorded its first case to December 2021, there were 26 deaths recorded in the TCI.
In the 19 days since the start of 2022 that number has increased to 32; which means six deaths already in January.
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
‘Slow down on Cruising’, that’s the word from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO in their latest recent press conference.
Dr. Ciro Ugarte Director of Health Emergencies at the PAHO was referring to the Bahamas but made sure to note
that the advice was highly relevant to many countries in the times of omicron.
“In the context of intense transmission, due to the Omicron variant as we have highlighted several times. It is just logical to suspend or at least limit the cruise ship traffic as an outbreak on board might end up exceedingly high and probably will go beyond the capacity of local health services”
Both the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos are experiencing a massive uptick in cases and several warnings regarding cruise travel have been issued by the US Centers for Disease Control.
Cruising just resumed for many regional countries this past Summer, Turks and Caicos was among the latest to restart on December 13.
A stop to sailing would be devastating to economies, however, ports of call like Grand Turk which are reeling with rocketing case numbers of COVID are urged to consider the suggestion of slowing down on ships by PAHO.
Caribbean News
Understanding Sargassum with help from the TCI’s Department of Environment & Coastal Resources
By Sherrica Thompson
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, January 20, 2022 – Sargassum, also known as seaweed, is a natural brown macroalga that lives in temperate and tropical oceans of the world. The floating micro eco-system is important to many species, including baby turtles, little crabs, and tiny fish. All these animals use the floating rafts of the sargassum for protection, shelter, and food.
Over the years, sargassum has been increasing its quantity in the Caribbean due to climate change. As water temperatures increase, sargassum blooms, and as this continues, it occurs in large amounts. This can be dangerous for some marine life because when seaweed washes up on the shore, some species become trapped in the sargassum mat.
Environmental Outreach Coordinator at the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources for TCI, Amy
Avenant, says the Turks and Caicos Islands has not seen the worst of the overgrowth.
“In the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have not seen the full severity of sargassum blooms. Our neighbours in Bonaire, for example, experience up to six feet of sargassum, and they have found stranded dolphins, sea turtles, and sometimes even birds,” said Amy Avenant.
“When the sargassum washes up on shore, it starts to decompose, and when it decomposes, it emits methane, and that is the stinky sulfuric eggy smell that you can smell when you walk past it on the beach. It is a bad thing for climate change because of the methane, but it is not harmful to your health.”
Turks and Caicos saw this in extreme amounts in October; so severe, resorts were forced to bag and bury the stinky seaweed which for over a week covered the usually sandy white stretch of Grace Bay beach.
Avenant noted that in the TCI, we have a balance between managing the influx of sargassum and impacting the areas where it lands because its influx is correlated to the cycles of the moon.
She also said sargassum can be used as a fertilizer in farming. If you collect it, the advice is to spread it out and ensure you wash the excess salt off before adding to your gardens or farms.
There are also hidden dangers and habitat threats to the piles of sargassum on shorelines.
Avenant informed, when you see sargassum on the beach, ensure you watch out for wildlife that might be stuck and species which might have made a home of the ocean’s deposit which has washed up, this is heightened on rocky shores.
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