Zenaida Haven, the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre at Rey Hill, is the recipient of a number of sport items which will assist in the social life of its residents.
The gifts, an assortment of gym equipment, were presented on Wednesday, September 22 by Creative Minds, a local organisation giving back to the Anguillian community.
Mr. John Millington, a Juvenile Care Worker at the Centre, with responsibility for sports, was the main receiver of the equipment. “We really want to say thank you, on behalf of the Department of Probation, to Creative Minds,” he said. “A few weeks ago we wrote an article in The Anguillian newspaper. We immediately got a call, and the result is what we are seeing before us today. When you write, you never know who is reading and so we are receiving these items from Creative Minds with thanks.
“We assure Creative Minds that these pieces of equipment will be used for the betterment and enhancement of our residents and the staff at the Centre.”
At present, there are three young male residents at the Centre which functions under the Supervision of Mrs. Yoshida Forbes who also expressed thanks and appreciation to Creative Minds.
Speaking on behalf of Creative Minds, Mr. Viglef Gumbs, its Public Relations Agent, said the gym equipment was specially sourced for the Zenaida Haven Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre. “We are looking at influencing and inspiring our youth in Anguilla as much as possible. The gym equipment we are presenting includes resistant bands, different mats, parachutes etc. It is a variety of equipment, and I look forward to seeing how the Juvenile Centre will put them to use.”
Elaborating on the assistance given by Creative Minds, Mr. Gumbs went on: “When you look at Anguilla you don’t really see a lot of institutions giving back to the community. The way I see it is that this is a steppingstone of where Anguilla should be, and I think it is an initiative that we, as the younger generation, to look back, inspire and assist, those coming behind us. This is a passion that is built up in all of us at Creative Minds.”
Mr. Gumbs said his non-profit organisation had undertaken to give back to various groups and small foundations in Anguilla for the development of young people, and had recently donated to football clubs and other groups. He disclosed that Creative Minds had a vast number of stakeholders, and was also involved in a number of fund-raising activities to finance its charitable work.
Meanwhile, Mr. Millington also expressed gratitude to the Anguilla Football Association for a number of footballs. “We are very grateful to the Association, and to all other organisations, giving back towards the enhancement of the young men at our Zenaida Haven Centre,” he added.
