Caribbean News
What a Celebration! —Toys, Joy and Hugs Abound as Sandals Foundation’s Annual Holiday Treats with Hasbro Thrill Thousands
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, January 8, 2023—The holidays are undoubtedly a joyous occasion in the Caribbean, with jingle bells and all-round cheer echoing throughout the air. This year, the Sandals Foundation made it even more memorable for children across Providenciales with a little help from Santa and his elves hand-delivering some 1,500 assortment of toys and games.
The beaming faces and smiles of wide-eyed children at the Enid Capron Primary School, Thelma Lightbourne
Primary and the Lower Bight community were only topped by the warm hugs that greeted the philanthropic organisation’s ambassadors from Beaches Turks and Caicos as they served students over three days in mornings of sweet treats, games, and toys donated by American toy company, Hasbro.
According to Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of Sandals Foundation, the activities were designed to bring laughter, joy, and happiness to children throughout the region, making this time magical.
“The holiday season is in full swing, and for us, it is a time of generosity, kindness, and love as we share joy and hope with the children we’ve worked with throughout the year”.
Clarke also added, “The sheer joy radiating from the volunteers as they distribute toys to the children, combined with the warm embrace they receive from that overjoyed child, is priceless “.
More than 14,000 fun and educational toys and games are being distributed to children ages 3 to 13+ right across the Caribbean, with the customary high-energy celebration that has been known to characterize the Sandals Foundation team and the incredible partners of Beaches Turks and Caicos, the Ministry of Education, and the Member of Parliament for the Lower Bight that help make the activities possible.
James McAnally, General Manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos shared that the purpose of volunteerism has resorted in the team sharing the joy of the season with the communities. “As we share with our communities this season, all of the resort’s leaders made sure to join hands and hearts as we give back to our communities. We are all Sandals Foundation Ambassadors here at Beaches Turks and Caicos, and giving back for us has created an atmosphere of care as we move forward as a team.”
Sandals Foundation Ambassador Bernard Florvil, Mason within the Maintenance department shared his joy of being involved in the activities. “Within the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort, being involved as a Sandals Foundation Ambassador gives me the opportunity to give back my time to these communities and especially the children. Being able to experience the satisfaction that these children show with the receipt of each gift creates a sense of joy that makes me want to continue giving back of my time,” Williams noted.
Principal of the Thelma Lightbourne Primary, Robin Cox-Foster said, “this partnership with the Beaches Turks and
Caicos resort and the Sandals Foundation along with our school has provided a meaningful opportunity for more than 400 of our students to receive Christmas gifts. Our parents are extremely grateful because the gifts that their children have received are unique and of high quality.”
Sophia Garland, Principal of the Enid Capron Primary added, “thanks much to the Sandals Foundation and the Beaches Turks and Caicos for providing Christmas gifts for more than 350 boys and girls here at the school. The partnership with these organisations have been long standing but for 2022, post the pandemic, we were able to have our children enjoy treats and gifts from Sandals Foundation and the team at Beaches. We are very grateful.”
The Sandals Foundation’s annual Christmas toy distribution has become a tradition for children in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, and Barbados. This year, the joy was also spread to the resort’s newest island home of Curacao.
“Thank you to our partners at Hasbro for continuing to help us make the season even more special for children across the Caribbean, and to our team members who add the magic touch with gift wrapping and distribution, bringing joy to many young boys and girls,” said Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at Sandals Foundation.
KINGSTON, April 24 (JIS):
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has declared Jamaica a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) island with a vision of fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and empowering citizens to thrive in the global knowledge economy.
“Through our collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, Government, private sector, academia and civil society, we will work towards this goal. Jamaica is now officially declared a STEM island,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness was addressing the Future Ready International Conference held at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston on April 24.
As a STEM island, he said that the Government will seek to implement comprehensive education reforms from the primary to the tertiary levels, with the objective of developing a skilled workforce, capable of competing in global markets.
He said that ecosystems will be developed to encourage startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the STEM disciplines to drive industry and economic growth, as well as to address social issues.
“We will encourage the growth of STEM industries such as biotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing. We will also leverage STEM to grow and monetise the musical, artistic, cultural and other natural talents of our people. We will leverage STEM solutions to address environmental challenges including climate change, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will position Jamaica as a hub for STEM research, innovation, collaboration and other developments in the Caribbean and beyond,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that by embracing STEM as a national priority, Jamaica will unlock its full potential driving prosperity, peace and productivity in a sustainable, equitable way for all our Jamaican citizens and, indeed, the world,” Holness said.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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