Tuesday, 13 February 2018 (North Side, Anguilla) — A couple weeks ago, on Thursday afternoon, February 1st, I had the opportunity to attend a small gathering of students and adults at the Island Harbour Care Centre (IHCC). The Honourable Palmavon (Pam) Webster, who is the Opposition Leader and a significant financial supporter of two of the island’s community and youth development centres, invited me to observe a donor’s presentation to the children who participate in the IHCC’s after school programme. Unbeknownst to me, I was to witness a greater raison d’être in the works.
What may seem like a minor event has profound significance for the Anguilla community at large. It illustrates how our small Caribbean island nation has benefited from communities across the globe after Hurricane Irma. The assembly at the Centre wasn’t just about Island Harbour village or District 1 in Anguilla. More importantly, this event showed a deeper connection between the people of the Caribbean and the UK.
Definitely, it revealed a positive paradigm shift of communities coming together from afar after a major natural disaster. It is an awe-inspiring experience to observe opportunities that help us to create better lives by caring and in unity. Irma and Maria were massive hurricanes that taught us many lessons about communities coming together in the aftermath of such enormous destruction. But have we really learned our lessons that the Most High continues to teach us through Mother Nature’s Acts of God?
What I saw occur at the Island Harbour Care Centre is a testament to our resilience, our compassion, our love and our connections with people that are divinely inspired. This is a story of communities, as well as individuals, caring for one another. It is something we all need to be reminded of from time to time; to remember to share our God-given talents, gifts and resources; to become more involved in the community in which we live and the lives of those whom we are acquainted with. And I am not talking about gossiping or anything malicious, but worthy endeavours. Then again, this story that I have to tell is really about our children teaching us the life lesson of showing how deeply we care for others – and it begins with two people in our island community.
A well-known married couple, who are entrepreneurs and very supportive of the Anguilla community, were the persons instrumental in bringing together two communities thousands of kilometres apart. Had it not been for the blessing of Bob and Melinda Blanchard amending their not-for-profit Anguilla company, Blanchards Anguilla Children’s Fund (BACF), to include Blanchards Hurricane Relief (BHF), there might never have been this strong connection made between the children in two diverse, yet similar special countries. This commentary chronicles the budding relations between young people in Island Harbour, Anguilla, and Dundee, Scotland, and how they have connected across cyber space and by postal mail.
After Irma passed on the 5th of September 2017, the Blanchards amended BACF’s mission so funds could be raised for hurricane relief resources giving 100 percent of the BHF donations directly to benefit the people of Anguilla. They have always been generous in their giving and wanted to do more for the community that they are intimately a part of. Somehow divine intervention played a role in connecting Ms Helen Rae, Manager of Kiddycare Private Day Nursery in Dundee, Scotland, with Ms Blanchard. They had never met before, but God guided them together.
Ms Rae sent an email to Ms Blanchard expressing her, and the Kiddycare staff and children’s, concerns upon reading about the people of Anguilla’s troubles after Irma. They wanted to do fundraising in support. Ms Rae said in 2014 the city of Dundee participated in the Commonwealth Games Big Weave. Anguilla was the country they were given to use the Anguillian flag colours in their weave. They did their research on this tranquil island in the Caribbean Sea, learning where it is located and even the words to sing Anguilla’s National Song.
The Kiddycare children wanted to make the children of Anguilla feel a little brighter knowing that they were thinking of them. So, several nicely decorated Christmas cards were handmade, including one shaped like a lobster, and a double-sided, colourful poster showing images of Dundee, Scotland, on one side and pictures of what they learnt about Anguilla on the other side. Ms Blanchard presented these very creative gifts full of love to the students at the Island Harbour Care Centre.
Hand drawn cards expressing their appreciation and thanks were designed and coloured by the children at IHCC. They will be sent to their new penpal mates at Kiddycare Private Day Nursery in Scotland. Dekeiron Smith, one of the youths at the Centre, spoke on behalf of all the students and said, “We thank you…” to Ms Blanchard and also to the Kiddycare manager, staff and children.
Other persons in attendance at this celebratory occasion included members of various community networks: Ms Shirlene (Tarah) Baker, Blanchards Beach Shack Manager; Ms Ezra Fleming Abbott, Teacher; Ms Marie Horsford, who serves on the IHCC Board of Directors; and Mr James (Jim) M. Pryor, a retiree from British Columbia, Canada, and a long-time Anguilla visitor who is also a community volunteer and offers his expertise on the creative planning process to organisations.
Following receipt of the cards from the children in Dundee, a present, expressing gratitude, was given to Ms Blanchard thanking her for the Blanchards team’s benevolence towards the Anguilla community. On behalf of the Centre’s students, staff and teachers, Ms Pam Webster presented a copy of Mr Vivien Arthwin Vanterpool’s autobiography, Overcoming the Odds. The book was in a gift bag imprinted with the words “Keep Calm and Carry On”, and inscribed “To Melinda, Bob, Miguel, Tarah and the Blanchards Team”.
Afterwards, there was an unanticipated donation of US$5,000, from the Blanchards Anguilla Children’s Fund, earmarked for the Island Harbour Care Centre after-school programme. Ms Blanchard presented this monetary donation to the Centre’s sponsor, the Hon. Pam Webster. In turn, the bank cheque was graciously accepted by Centre Managers – Kareen Harrigan and Jay Browne.
The generosity of this substantial gift cannot be underestimated because it will benefit, not only one, but two of Anguilla’s community and youth development centres. Due to severe hurricane damage at the Pond Ground Care Centre in East End, children who normally attend that Centre now come together with other students at the after-school programme in Island Harbour. We can well imagine the extra efforts required by staff and teachers to manage a larger group of young people with enthusiastic energy, in a smaller space, along with the money and resources needed to provide suitable programmes for them.
During this gathering of children, youths and adults, I had a chance to speak with Ms Kemone Webster and Ms Lucinda Miranda de los Santos who teach at IHCC. Teacher Miranda instructs Spanish language classes which are essential to our communicating effectively in a multicultural nation and globally expanded world. Teacher Kemone, who has invaluable creative talents, assists the children with their homework and in other areas, and explained that she works with the students individually tailoring their studies to specific areas in which they need the most assistance. She ensures they understand the subjects before moving on to the next assignment. Having this one-on-one attention means no child is left behind in her/his academic studies, and that is much needed for our children to be successful in school and for their future in today’s job market.
These lessons, teaching us about communities coming together, are the positive examples we need to exemplify in living life passionately and with an abundance of love as an interconnected global community. If we are to build up and reconstruct the Anguilla community, then we have to realise the opportunities to come together in unity, to give without expectation of reward, and to take risks in order to live our dream of a nation united and free, prospering and following God’s Plan.
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Kay M. Ferguson, an Anguillian Belonger, writes under the nom de plume Empress Extraordinaire. She is a Spirit-inspired writer who composes word sounds to enlighten and uplift humanity. Kay has served in various government and private sector organisations around the world, and as a community volunteer in several countries. She engages in a multitude of projects that are stimulating to her personal interests and professional development. Find the Empress and “i-nect” with her on social media at www.facebook.com/kaymferguson or link with her via email at anguillawriter@gmail.com or empressextraordinaire@outlook.com.
