Sandals Foundation Supports Caribbean Community with New Initiatives

June 20, 2024 - Sandals Foundation - Jamaica

The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, continues to spearhead its mission of bettering the Caribbean region through community, education and environmental outreach. Each year, the Foundation elects a number of projects to be taken under its arms and funded through donations and fundraising events by generous donors. Recently the foundation made a significant impact in the Caribbean by spreading cheer to local children with the supply of new playground equipment, recreational supplies and classroom computers as well as enhancing the local healthcare facilities for its residents.

Culloden Early Childhood Institution Receives New Playground:  As one of the Sandals Foundation’s adopted schools, the Culloden Early Childhood Institution (ECI) in Westmoreland, Jamaica has seen significant growth while continuing to encourage education, and provide a safe and fun environment for more than 170 students.   Recently, the United States West Coast sales team of Unique Vacations Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representatives of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, contributed a brand new playground to the school, which includes a variety of swing sets, slides, monkey bars and a see-saw. After visiting the Culloden ECI and seeing the bricks that had been purchased by previous Sandals Resorts guests, this sales team of 10 business development managers fundraised and purchased $6,500 worth of Sandals Foundation bricks that went towards the funding of the playground. The Culloden ECI is also witnessing great strides in the classroom. Their latest accomplishment was being named Champions of the 2024 Ministry of Education’s Zone 27 Literacy Competition which featured 50 ECIs in the area vying for the top spots in various areas including word recognition, letter sound and letter identification, picture-word association, jigsaw-word puzzles and comprehension.

The Sandals Foundation Improves Healthcare in Jamaica: Sandals Foundation volunteers from Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts in Negril, Jamaica recently brought cheer to 18 new mothers and 23 children in the maternity and pediatric wards at Savanna-la-Mar Hospital with story time and a special visit from Sesame Street® favorite furry friend, Elmo. The volunteers also donated baby clothing items through the Sandals Foundation’s partnership with Victoria’s Children’s Boutique in the U.S., as well as toys and coloring books.  Additionally, the Sandals Foundation recently assisted with adding two new furnished examination rooms at the Negril Health Centre, serving  residents in Negril and surrounding communities. Hundreds of Jamaicans will now have access to consultations and medical examinations in a comfortable environment with increased privacy.

Sandals Foundation Volunteers Enhance Sports Programs in Rural Schools:  Susanna Penning, an accredited mortgage professional in Ottawa, Canada, was recently inspired to spearhead a sports gear drive for rural schools in Jamaica after participating in a Sandals Foundation Reading Road Trip outreach activity while on vacation at Sandals Resorts. With generous help from the Ottawa South United Soccer Club, the Penning family and other Canadian donors, the Sandals Foundation provided fifty studentsat the Lucea Christian Fellowship Basic School in Hanover, Jamaica withsoccer clothing and gear, Frisbees, jump ropes, baseball equipment, water bottles and other athletic supplies.  As part of the partnership with the Penning family, the Sandals Foundation facilitated distribution to the Lucea School, Savanna-la-Mar Primary, Churchill Primary and Grange Hill Primary.

Bahamas Primary SchoolGets Outfitted with New Computer Lab: The Sandals Foundation recently supplied the students and faculty of Stuart Manor Primary School in Great Exuma, Bahamas with a computer lab, complete with 10 brand new computers.  Jeremy Mutton, General Manager of Sandals Emerald Bay, was on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon when the computer lab opened on June 5, 2024Both Rudolph Smith, The Ministry of Education’s District Superintendent for the Exumas, and Margaret Woodside, Principal of Stuart Manor Primary School, thanked the Sandals Foundation for all of their work within the community.

The Sandals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was created to continue and to expand upon the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken. It is the culmination of three decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where they operate across the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment.One hundred percent of the monies contributed by the general public to the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community.

To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at www.sandalsfoundation.org.