Caribbean News
BTC Team Celebrates Thanksgiving with Gratitude
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Over 1000 team members at Beaches Turks & Caicos participated in observing this year’s Thanksgiving Day at a special dinner organised by the resort’s Human Resources department. The resort’s culinary experts from the food and beverage department along with the team from human resources ensured that it was a thanksgiving to remember.
With service provided by the resort’s managers at the much-anticipated event, Carlton Salmon, houseman from the housekeeping department shared his reflections of gratitude. “I have worked at Beaches Turks and Caicos for more
than 20 years and of one the reasons for me to be thankful this year, is the opportunity to be a part of this great team who all play a part in ensuring that we can celebrate our growth and progress as one team. The leadership of this resort has made us very comfortable and we thank them for the opportunity to give thanks like this,” Salmon shared.
An equally appreciative general manager James McAnally shared, “I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. This event though tops the list as I am thankful to see these dedicated team members being able to take time out, pause and be thankful. As a resort, we have gone though many trying times over the last two years, but because of the resilient nature of these men and women who continue to give each guest more than he or she expects here at Beaches Turks and Caicos, I am thankful for the grit and determination of this entire team.”
Human Resources Manager, Owenta Coleby said, “The work put into making this thanksgiving dinner memorable has been a team effort and labour of love and gratitude. To plan and execute this event for our team shows that as a company, we are listening to our team as the way forward in building the family and work-life balance is paramount. This dinner helped to continue fostering our relationship as a team, the people we work with, who have become a family. We were able to sense the desire for an event of this style through our continuous open communication channels that we promote among the staff.”
Coleby added, “Our resort is cognisant of the fact that what we are able to accomplish over so many years is primarily because of these dedicated men and women. I am thankful for their commitment and dedication to making the resort one of choice for employment and career development for the people of these beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands.
As different team members expressed gratitude for personal as well as professional development facilitated, encouraged and provided through Beaches Turks & Caicos, several have also pledged their own commitment to be mentors by helping to inspire others to be their best.
Newly minted regional training and development manager for the Northern Caribbean, Julianna Musgrove shared, “I’m thankful for the continuous growth that I have experienced within this company. Being a part of this company, I have become equipped and empowered to be the leader that I am today. This company continues to invest in my abilities and ensure that I have been trained within this global brand to fulfill my current role of impacting not
only the TCI, but resorts in the Bahamas. I am thankful for this vision and the way forward for this resort and every team member.”
Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions Tanya Swann shared, “I’m thankful for the commitment that Beaches Turks and Caicos has given to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the rest of the Caribbean and the wider world. This resort has created a culture of success for every team member at whatever level they may be. I’m thankful for the training and volunteerism opportunities afforded to each team member as this resort continues to give back to its team members, the communities and the countries in which we operate. This is the way forward for all team members.”
Djennie Osias, a relatively new team member who was experiencing this thanksgiving event for the first time beamed, “The purpose here for me is to dream bigger as I join this world class team, my success is now more than just an imagination but something that I am capable of seeing myself achieving. I look forward to many years of growth with Beaches Turks & Caicos”.
Photo Captions:
Header: Human Resources Manager Owenta Coleby (left) shares a happy moment with members of Food and Beverage team as her office express thanks to the team for the hard work that they have done.
1st insert: Executvie Chef Gregg Zeringue (right) shares a thanksgiving moment with Chef Darline Rousseaux
2nd insert: Epix Photoshop Photographer Carlos Brown (right) accepts his meal from one of the managers at the recently held Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort.
Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.
At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.
The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.
Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment.
With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.
Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.
CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”
For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.
For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.
