The Anguilla Social Board has set a well-crafted course for itself through the delivery of a Strategic Plan. In presenting that plan, the statutory organization took the opportunity to recognize and award a number of employees for their many years of service and outstanding work. The formal joint event was held at the Ballroom of CuisinArt Resort and Residences on Friday evening, January 18.
The welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. Sean Richard, Chairman of the Social Security Board. He was pleased to see the Minister of Social Security, Mr. Victor Banks, members of the Board Directors and staff in attendance. Noting that the presentation of the Strategic Plan was a main agenda item, he stated that transformation must begin from within.
Chief Minister Mr. Banks said, in his greetings, that it was important for every organization to have a strategic plan in order to remain on track with the earlier vision of the forefathers of the Social Security Board. He was mainly referring to the late Revolutionary Leader and Father of the Nation and Social Security, Mr. James Ronald Webster.
“We are proud to have been a part of that initiative which has brought so much to the people of Anguilla,” Mr. Banks continued. “It is the single most important fund for economic development and, in recent times, it has been very useful in ensuring that we have a level of stability – and that we are able to fund initiatives to further advance the development of Anguilla.”
The Chief Minister thanked and congratulated the Social Security Board for its role in ensuring that workers affected by Hurricane Irma had a means of maintaining themselves in the aftermath of that period. He also congratulated Mr. Timothy Hodge, Director of Social Security, and his staff, for working with the Ministries of Labour and Finance on making that assistance happen. “It certainly was an important initiative which helped us to weather the aftermath of the storm,” he said.
Mr. Banks continued: “The new facilities here at CuisinArt are evidence of the fact that we have been able to recover well. As a matter of fact, we have more rooms available in the accommodation sector than we had before Hurricane Irma. That is a significant achievement and I believe we are on a good trajectory in the tourism sector to do well in the right direction – and we are confident of a good 2018/2019 tourism season.”
The Chief Minister, in his capacity as Minister of Social Security, congratulated the employees for the recognition and awards for which they were nominated.
Mr. Bank’s greetings were followed by the presentation of the Strategic Plan by the Director of Social Security, Mr. Tim Hodge, who is a doctoral degree student at the University of the Virgin Islands.
He said that in its Strategic Plan his organization wanted to become, as the theme states, “a Transformational Social Security System” so that we can achieve transformation in Anguilla. He explained that the transforming process will cover the period January 2019 to 2021, with a vision for 2025. Further details will be given in a later edition of The Anguillian when the Strategic Plan will be formally released to the public.
Mr. Hodge was delighted that many employees of the Social Security Board were being recognized and awarded for their service. He was among them, having served the organization, so far, for 37 years. Social Security was introduced in Anguilla in the early 1980s and has grown by leaps and bounds. The fund is now nearing four hundred million dollars.
The employee recognition awards were presented by Mrs. Shelia Richardson Hodge, Chairperson of the Social Security Board Human Resources Committee.
The following are the awarded Social Security employees:
