#TurksandCaicos, January 24, 2023 – The Salvation Army Brighter Futures Community Center held its grand opening Saturday, January 24^th.  The event brought together supporters, dignitaries, and the general public in a celebration of a brand-new facility dedicated to the development of youth in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Tonight, we celebrate over ten years of fundraising, planning, and construction”, Salvation Army TCI Advisory Board Chairperson stated, “this facility will provide the children of our nation hope”.  Foss explained that he knew they could not raise the $2.6 million needed to purchase the land and construct the building by holding traditional fundraisers.  “We did not want to impact our regular fundraising which supports several programs such as the hot lunch program for at-risk students, textbook and school uniform initiatives, food insecurity assistance, the seniors’ transportation program in Middle Caicos, or any of the other good work that occurs regularly in our islands.  We focused on private donations, and even then, we were careful not to disrupt the funding of other local non-profits also doing great work”.

Foss explained that it took several years to get their first large donation.  A donation that gave them the confidence and hopes that they could eventually reach their goal, “the first major step toward the reality of what we were trying to do came when the Salvation Army Bahamas and the Salvation Army International organizations donated the funds to purchase the land, which we did immediately.  Before the land was purchased, I would go to people and ask them if they would donate to the facility and they would say, ‘where will it be built’? and I would have to say that I did not know yet.  People are generous by nature and they want to help good causes, but they also want to know that they are donating to something that is going to happen”.

Once the land was purchased and the site of the center was known, he states that things started to change when he approached possible donors, “now that we had a site, I could give my pitch with confidence and four years into the effort we received a $50 000 donation from Canadians Dale and Wendy Papke of Ports of Call.  That donation gave me hope.  While we managed several $5000 and $10 000 donations, we still had a long way to go until I met the David and Julie Brown family, also from Canada.  The Brown family loves the Turks and Caicos Islands and makes it their home many months of the year.  They also care about young people and want to provide as many opportunities as possible.  They were game changers with a total commitment of $750 000 toward the project.”

In his address to the crowd on Saturday night, Foss explained that it was not just money that was needed to get the project built, but expertise and assistance.  “Not only did the Brown Family offer critical financial support, but the entire family also including their son Kyle helped me produce a marketing plan and materials.  When you have like-minded caring people helping you do the heavy lifting, it becomes easier to move forward.  We found an amazing contractor in Phillip ‘Skintight’ Handfield to build the facility at cost.  Another huge step forward occurred when Mark and Anna Parrish offered their support.  Mark, owner of the quantity surveying firm Concept Plus agreed to project manage the construction process as a volunteer.  Anna donated all the stone and ceramic tiles along with most of the windows for the building”.

The volunteer Advisory Board Chair said momentum was on their side and they began building the facility before they had all the funding needed in place.  He stated, “we had momentum, and we didn’t want to lose it by waiting for all the money and we were confident once people could see the construction occurring, they would lend their support.  We started the build just before the pandemic and were cruising along with donations continuing to come forward.  However, during the pandemic, the cost of construction materials began to rise dramatically and suddenly we were going to be short approximately $200 000 to cover the increases.  I made an appeal to the members of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) and within forty-eight hours we had raised the extra funds to complete the facility.  It was an incredible show of caring corporate citizenship”.

The building consists of the Salvation Army church, a large multi-purpose event center, an early childhood education classroom, and a commercial community kitchen to be used to supply hot lunches to at-risk students in government schools, counseling rooms, and the Salvation Army TCI administration offices.  Eventually, the facility will include a community garden and will become a certified hurricane shelter for the general public.

Foss said he and his wife Leslie, a volunteer responsible for all Salvation Army TCI fundraising events, are humbled by the opportunity to be involved and excited to see the building completed and in use.  Most importantly, Todd Foss let it be known that the theme of the building is Hope and that it will be home to other non-profits offering hope to the youth of Turks and Caicos, “since 2007 the Salvation Army TCI has done amazing work in our country, all without a permanent facility.  Not having a facility made things challenging.  We want other youth-based non-profit organizations to call the Brighter Futures Community Center home so they can expand their work.  We are excited to offer the use of the facility to Jr. Achievement TCI, the TCHTA Little Chefs program, the TCHTA Hospitality Program, The TCI Youth Parliament, the Police Youth Band, and others.  In addition, we look forward to joint partnerships with amazing organizations such as the Ed Garland Youth Center”.

As the facility began to rise, so did violent crime among the Island’s young population, making the Brighter Futures Community Center more important than ever.  Foss suggested that “too often I see people suggesting that troubled youth is a government problem to solve, or it is the parent’s fault, or I hear a lot of what is the Governor doing or why are the police not arresting all the bad people.  The truth is that at-risk youth is a complex issue with no easy solution, but whatever the solution it is up to all of us to be a part of it.  The Salvation Army TCI Brighter Futures Community Center’s purpose is to bring Hope to the youth of our country and Hope is the best tool to guide young people down a path towards a positive life”.

Sponsored by the Salvation Army Bahamas and the generous donations of Mr. Frank Crothers, the Salvation Army began work in Turks and Caicos in 2007.  In 2011, it became the 131^st country to receive official country status within the organization.  Formed in 1865, the International Salvation Army operates in 133 countries and is the second-largest non-profit organization in the world.  It is an integral part of the Christian Church with objectives to advance the Christian religion while providing important humanitarian work in education, relief of poverty, and other charitable efforts benefiting society and the community of mankind as a whole.