The Anguilla Tourist Board and Anguilla’s leading telecommunications company, LIME (Anguilla) have announced that they will once again be partnering in the 2015 Christmas Extravaganza. Under the program, a food basket, containing all the ingredients necessary for a wholesome Christmas breakfast and dinner, as well as a Christmas cake and gift for each child would be purchased, packaged and delivered to the children and their parents at the offices of the Anguilla Tourist Board a few days before Christmas Eve, just in time for the holiday festivities. This is a charitable initiative focused on children within the Primary School system.
In making the commitment to sponsor the program once again, Country Manager, Desron Bynoe noted, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. As a company, our presence in the Caribbean has long been marked by a series of successful, technological advancements, and impactful nation-building initiatives including a long history of supporting the nation’s youth. We are focused on operating our business ethically and responsibly so as to have a positive impact on our customers, colleagues, business partners, shareholders, government, community stakeholders and our environment. This program helps to improve the lives of Anguilla’s children by providing basic necessities, allowing the recipients and their families to focus on what make Christmas truly special: Christ, laughter, enjoyment and love. We at LIME are pleased to partner with the Anguilla Tourist Board for yet another year on this initiative in connecting communities and transforming lives.”
Director of Tourism, Mrs Candis Niles, expressed the view that the Christmas Extravaganza is one of the initiatives of the Anguilla Tourist Board that underscores the way in which Tourism is key, not only to our economy, but also to our way of life. “ The Christmas Extravaganza was originally conceived by the Anguilla Tourist Board staff as a means of demonstrating that Tourism touches lives in ways which are not often seen”, she explains. “Anguilla’s tourism is defined by the sense of community that one finds on the island, and our children are an integral part of that community. We recognize that they are the future of this nation, the future of this industry. Christmas offers an excellent opportunity to show our children that Tourism Cares, and by extending our caring to Anguilla’s children we believe that not only are we creating happy memories at Christmas time, but we are also helping to shape the lives of boys and girls who will one day grow up to be a part of this vital industry that drives our economy. Community partners like LIME (Anguilla) help to make it possible.”
The program’s success is largely based on the support of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the cooperation of the wholesale and retail sector, who play their part by offering special discounts on the items to be purchased for the food baskets. Retailers of toys also agree to make their toys available for specially discounted prices so that each boy and girl is assured of at least one gift for Christmas. This year, Gadget City also generously offered to sponsor the gifts for one of the participating schools as their contribution to the Christmas Extravaganza.
Christmas Extravaganza 2015 is being coordinated by Ms. Jade Reymond, Marketing Manager of LIME(Anguilla), Ms. Brenda Gumbs, Office Manager of the Anguilla Tourist Board, and Twyla Richardson Thomas, Marketing Officer at the Anguilla Tourist Board. The Staff of the Anguilla Tourist Board purchase the supplies and wrap the gifts with the assistance of the ALHCS “Tourism is We Ting” Tourism Club, while staff from both LIME and ATB assist in hosting the children and distributing their gifts. Approximately 50 children are expected to benefit from the program this year, which covers the six public Primary schools and two private primary institutions.
-Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
